Colleagues praised Dr Zoe Watson, a GP locum in London, after her article on the experience of workforce pressure was published in London’s Evening Standard newspaper.
“This article seems to have resonated with so many folk,” Dr Watson told us. “It’s been shared everywhere.”
She also added that she uses LocumDeck, NASGP’s platform, to keep track of her locum work.
‘GPs are exhausted, broken and completely floored — but how would people feel if we disappeared altogether?’ described the intense schedule faced by many UK GPs this year.
“I’ve worked as a locum GP in east London, Kent and Sussex, so I have a very broad understanding of the difficulties the NHS is facing across the country,” Dr Watson, 39, wrote. “The job has changed enormously over the last two years in terms of workload and the volume of patients we are seeing.
“There have been many challenges, but the main one is simply the sheer volume of patients we are seeing – patient contacts are up by approximately 8.5 per cent compared to this time two years ago.”
GPs on Twitter tweeted that the message was “well said”.
Dr Watson has worked as a GP for 16 years.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, wrote: “Zoe articulates perfectly what many of us have been thinking, and has condensed her arguments into a pithy, heartfelt plea to the public to look at GP access from a long term perspective, and not just what they see on social media.
“I know that I am biased, but I think this article is particularly powerful coming from Zoe’s perspective as a busy locum working across multiple practices in three different counties.
“Zoe’s broad message comes from a broad perspective, and helps to reinforce the critical role of GP locums in supporting practices and patients alike.
“I very much hope Zoe’s article continues to find readers, and brings this to a wider audience.”
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