Occasional Ramblings

I'm just back from a visit to my local GP. As i waited patiently to be seen the advantages and disadvantages of how Doctor's surgeries operate, was very apparent.

The system we still have is for patients to be seen on a 'first come, first served' basis, rather that the appointment arrangement of most other GP practices. Previous experience has shown me that it is best to arrive quite early if i want to be seen quickly. I had therefore arrived at 12.45 ( the Surgery begins at 1.30 ) expecting to be one of the first in the queue. I was dismayed however to discover about eight people before me.

A Doctor's waiting room is generally quite a quiet place, with any conversations taking place in whispers, but on this occasion there was a woman there who was so loud that nobody was left in any doubt about her medical history or family life, or indeed her opinions of the various Doctors. When someone she, even remotely, knew entered the waiting room she would utter a loud greeting or embarrassing remark when the recipients would have probably preferred to have reached their seat relatively unnoticed.

The Doctors started on time but as each patient was taken in turn it almost seemed that my turn would never come until at 2.05 my name was finally called.

To anyone who is not used to this system it may seem a bit outdated and irksome, with quite long waits more the norm than unusual, but it has many advantages over the appointment system. The first is the most obvious, that people don't know when they are going to be ill so how are they supposed to know that they need to book an appointment for next week, or the week after.  The 'first come, first served' method solves this problem by insuring that patients are seen when they are ill, even if it does require a considerable wait. Another advantage is that it enables people to communicate with each other, rather than just being passing strangers.

Whatever the system used we are lucky to have  GP facilities available.