A day in the life of GP Dr Tarek Bakht

  • 6.30am - Alarm goes off, I take my children to nursery.
  • 8am - Arrive at the practice and check the latest blood test results.
  • 8.30am until 11.30am - Morning surgery, which normally runs late as it is challenging to address a patient’s issues within a 10 minute appointment. As a GP I see a wide variety of complaints and am able to manage and investigate many conditions. I also, along with the nurse, manage patients with long term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, COPD, asthma and kidney disease.
  • Noon - telephone consultations. If a patient’s problem is urgent we will squeeze them in for an appointment that day. Alternatively, I will recommend that they get advice and medication from their local pharmacy or self care. I often do one or two home visits. Return to the surgery and write up my notes.
  • 3pm - Afternoon surgery. Over the winter, everyone has more coughs, colds and sore throats and this takes up many appointments. Often these are due to viruses where antibiotics will not work.
  • 6pm - Finish my paperwork and address urgent requests, such as patients who have run out of medication. I always encourage patients to order their regular medication in good time as I may not be able to deal with last minute requests if the surgery is very busy. This is the time I also do any urgent home visits.
  • 7.30pm - Get home and put my children to bed, if I’m lucky.