Doctor-patient relationship breaking down, says Nottinghamshire GP

GPs were under pressure even before the pandemic, said Dr Shortt

A GP has said "frustrations are coming to the fore" as the relationship between patients and professionals "starts to degrade".

Dr Stephen Shortt, clinical chair at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said general practice surgeries were struggling in the pandemic.

He claimed some staff were thinking of leaving due to "stress and burnout".

The system was "fundamentally vulnerable", he added.

Ministers have set up a £250m emergency winter rescue package in a bid to relieve pressures on GPs.

Dr Shortt made the comments at a meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council's health scrutiny committee on 23 November, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Data given to councillors showed about one in six people waited 15 days or more to see a doctor during August 2021 - an increase of about 3.5% on the same period last year.

More than 20,000 patients waited longer than four weeks, the committee was told.

'Fundamentally vulnerable'

Dr Shortt said: "From the start of the pandemic to current times the professional-patient relationship has been strong and effective.

"And yet, it is starting to degrade at the present time due to the longevity of the pandemic and frustrations which are now coming to the fore.

"The burden on general practice was great to start with and its weaknesses have been amplified by the Covid conditions.

"Colleagues are considering their work-life balance and whether they want to remain in general practice or not.

"General practice is fundamentally vulnerable and the pandemic has revealed that."

He added that when he heard of patients waiting 45 minutes in a queue it was "deeply embarrassing and unsatisfactory".