FAQ: What equipment should GPs carry in their doctor’s bag?
Employers have a legal obligation to provide a working environment that enables their employees to work safely and to the best of their ability. Which should mean that they provide all the equipment you need, in working order.
The real world isn’t like that. It can be very hard to unearth the piece of equipment, and, when you find it, it may be broken or out of date. And even if it is working, it may be a model you aren’t familiar with. And nothing wastes time and reduces a patient’s confidence in you more than watching you hunt through drawers or fiddling with a device that you clearly don’t know how to use.
The solution is to take your own equipment. Then you you know where it is and you know it is working order (don’t you?).
But equipment can be expensive, and there is a limit to what you can carry, especially if you are on a bike. So here is a list of items contributed by locums. The nearer the top, the more people carry the item. Have a look and consider what, in your circumstances, you would not want to be without.
And if you have pet pieces of equipment you wouldn’t be without, let NASGP know and we will add them to the list.
Suggested equipment
- Stethoscope
- Sphygmomanometer (serviced regularly)
- Diagnostic set (with spare batteries)
- Patella hammer
- Tuning fork
- Thermometer
- Tongue depressors
- Peak flow meter plus mouthpieces
- Tape measure
- Obstetric wheel
- Gloves
- Lubricating jelly
- Pulse oximeter
- Dip sticks (in date)
- Glucometer (plus in-date test strips)
- BNF (paper or electronic version)
- Favourite reference books (paper or electronic version)
- Pregnancy tests
- Vaginal speculum
- Pinard stethoscope
- Adrenaline and means of administering it
"NASGP came along way before people understood the need for sessional and small group practices to be valued by the system. On joining as a single-handed GP many years ago, I was welcomed into the team by initially wrote a few blogs for the organisation, which followed my understanding of yet another NHS reorganisation. It was only due to the vision and drive of Richard, your founder, that NASGP survived the large practice dominance. The inception of being a portal for the needs of GP locums was a masterstroke. Those who knew about it quickly realised the true meaning of networking. So here we are many years down the line and in footballing terminology NASGP now play in the Premier League.
"Well done to all as this is a just reward for the loyalty, dedication and hard work of your team. I have fond memories of working with NASGP and would urge every practice, large or small, to join this organisation, there are only gains and no losses."
Dr Tony Hall-Jones, retired GP
