GPs have slammed suggestions from a health minister that doctors should be able to address several problems in one appointment.
Earlier this month, Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said GPs need to “break away from the treadmill of the 10-minute appointment”.
More than 70 GPs wrote to The Telegraph to criticise his suggestions. The doctors said GPs are too busy to address several problems in one session.
In the letter, the doctors wrote: A full-time NHS GP typically has 2,000 patients. To meet their needs, most GPs offer appointments at 10-minute intervals. It would be unsafe to attempt to address three or four different health issues in a single appointment… Many GPs routinely work 10 to 12 hours a day, every hour of which requires constant, focused attention.”
Lamb said: “I am really disappointed because what I was trying to get across is that I recognise GPs are under a lot of pressure and I specifically referred to the treadmill of 10- minute appointments.”
