I HAVE a few questions for Dr Wirin Bhatiani, Chair of Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group about what has gone wrong with our GP Services in Bolton.

I remember not many years ago, if you were ill you could phone up your family doctor to make an appointment, and usually be given one the same day, or at least the following day.

By “family doctor” I mean the same doctor you nearly always saw if you were ill, someone who knew well your medical history, and not just yours but usually that of your whole family; someone who knew you and in whom you trusted and respected.

Today when I ask to see a GP, unless I say it is an emergency, I am given an appointment in about a week’s time, for a mere 10 minute appointment, and usually it is one with a doctor I don’t know, and I’m sure one who isn’t familiar with my medical history. If I am inpertinent enough to ask to see a specific doctor I usually have to wait about a month.

By this time nature has usually taken its course and you will have either died or recovered! Nowadays the name “family doctor” has now been replaced by “general practitioner”; the word “general” meaning just that, any old doctor.

On the other hand when my dog is ill I can phone my veterinary surgery, even at weekends, and nearly always get an appointment within 24 hours with a vet of my choice. It may cost me a few pounds, whereas if I choose to pay for a private appointment for myself with a doctor it will cost me well over £100.

It seems we have got our priorities wrong in this country, especially in Bolton, when a dog can receive medical attention much more quickly than a human being can.

Why is this? What’s going wrong with the NHS? What is the average appointment time to see a GP in Bolton, and what constitutes an “emergency” appointment? We once had a walk in health centre in Bolton but that’s now gone by the board. Is this progress and the direction the NHS is headed?

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