It's time to start digging up those Squirrelled Nuts!!!!

bluenose1

Lots of areas in NHS stretched unfortunately, and I do put it mostly down to funding and policy. My friend is a nurse an A&E. The ratio of patients is meant to be one nurse to four patients. Yesterday she was looking after fourteen patients. And that was not an unusual day.
Only when you need the NHS you realise the issues.

nigelbb

The reason that GPs are overworked is that the UK has never trained enough doctors which is why currently 37% of hospital doctors & over 20% of GPs in the UK qualified overseas. More overseas graduates joined the Medical Register this year than UK graduates (10K International & 2K EU versus 7.5K British.)

Ganga

nigelbb wrote: »

The reason that GPs are overworked is that the UK has never trained enough doctors which is why currently 37% of hospital doctors & over 20% of GPs in the UK qualified overseas. More overseas graduates joined the Medical Register this year than UK graduates (10K International & 2K EU versus 7.5K British.)

We seem to have an abundance of universities in the UK so why are we shy of doctors,if all the medical places are being taken by overseas students then something needs doing to get more of our nationals trained, i mean after all the pay for GP,s is not that bad so it is not the worst career out there

MallyGirl

We have lots of universities offering a degree in medicine but candidates need to have top grades and be ready to take on debt of £9250 x 5 (or sometimes 6) for the fees plus another £4500 to £11000 x 5 (or 6) for the maintenance loan - plus interest. Not everyone fancies that.
I have 2 GPs in the family. 1 decided the working conditions were so awful in the UK that they have moved to New Zealand - still working as a GP but shorter hours and a much nicer lifestyle. The other has a young family and has no interest in becoming a partner in a practice - this has limited her job opportunities although she is working.

nigelbb

Ganga wrote: »

We seem to have an abundance of universities in the UK so why are we shy of doctors,if all the medical places are being taken by overseas students then something needs doing to get more of our nationals trained, i mean after all the pay for GP,s is not that bad so it is not the worst career out there

You misunderstand overseas students are not taking places at UK medical schools (not many anyway). It's doctors who qualified overseas coming to work in the UK & going onto the Medical Register who now easily outnumber UK graduates.

nigelbb

MallyGirl wrote: »

We have lots of universities offering a degree in medicine but candidates need to have top grades and be ready to take on debt of £9250 x 5 (or sometimes 6) for the fees plus another £4500 to £11000 x 5 (or 6) for the maintenance loan - plus interest. Not everyone fancies that.

The costs aren't quite that high as medical students are eligible for an NHS bursary & to have tuition fees paid in 5th & 6th year (3rd & 4th year if on an accelerated graduate entry course). Medicine is a course with a guaranteed well paid job at the end of it & in any case a student loan isn't really a debt but a graduate tax.

There are in any case simply not enough places at medical school to train the required number of doctors. There are plenty of willing applicants & the places are many times oversubscribed.

atush

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

I went to see one of our practice doctors a few years ago and she was clearly so stressed that I asked her if she was OK - she opened up and told me about just how stressful and pressured the job is. We are at a critical point now where that career choice is so unattractive to qualifying doctors that they are electing to choose other paths. It also goes some way to explaining why many are leaving and why there is such a high suicide rate among the profession. Funding started it, I agree but a combination of factors (including the maximum size for pension pots) and the pressures are making it so much worse.

Charge for missed appointments. Will help a lot, and agree about the pensions.

JoeEngland

nigelbb wrote: »

The reason that GPs are overworked is that the UK has never trained enough doctors which is why currently 37% of hospital doctors & over 20% of GPs in the UK qualified overseas. More overseas graduates joined the Medical Register this year than UK graduates (10K International & 2K EU versus 7.5K British.)

AFAIK there's a world-wide shortage of medical staff. Various factors like an ageing population, an increasing population, and lifestyle caused illness are adding to demand for medical services in the UK.

Brilley

...oops..thread seems to have gone off on a bit of an "NHS" tangent!...perhaps needs a bit of re-alignment!

Sea_Shell

Brilley wrote: »

...oops..thread seems to have gone off on a bit of an "NHS" tangent!...perhaps needs a bit of re-alignment!

I seem to have been hijacked!!!!;):eek: