Gatekeepers

I'm always rather bemused that whenever I call the GP to try to make an appointment, there then follows the dance of the gatekeepers - what seems an ever-increasing battle to avoid actually giving an appointment to see a doctor. I do understand that they're really busy, and that the service as a whole is under-funded. But when the difference between "not a problem" and "this needs medication" can be ascertained with a very quick visual inspection (but only by that inspection), I'm not sure how to deal with the offer of a telephone appointment.

I was particularly amused recently by the question of whether I had been to the pharmacy first, partly because I hadn't had any opportunity, but also partly because if I needed anything beyond over-the-counter medicines, then access to those is blocked (for very good reason) by another round of gatekeeping - in particular, I'd need a prescription from the very person I was trying to see in the first place!

The whole system seems increasingly structured to stop people from using it. But, actually, not all people - basically, the less likely you are to need the service, the harder you'll find it to access on those rare occasions when you do need it.

Oh well. Hopefully it's all nothing.