tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631567898928853978.post7338234186354905039..comments2023-07-18T15:27:42.958+01:00Comments on A fortunate man: Working lateDr Andrew Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13858213625632400403noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631567898928853978.post-42578861225101813642008-04-12T12:39:00.000+01:002008-04-12T12:39:00.000+01:00Thanks everyone for your comments, which are at le...Thanks everyone for your comments, which are at least as interesting as the original post. :-)Dr Andrew Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13858213625632400403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631567898928853978.post-82984709423885823892008-03-09T13:59:00.000+00:002008-03-09T13:59:00.000+00:00Good to see you are back, wondered if you had got ...Good to see you are back, wondered if you had got snowed under again or left the country!<BR/><BR/>My experience is that patients generally appreciate seeing copies of the reply from their consultant to their GP. Care is needed with letters to avoid misunderstandings eg terms with different lay and medical meanings and to avoid raising unrealisable expectations raised (eg "please arrange an XYZ scan /daily district nurse visits / supply of equipment etc).<BR/><BR/>It is sad that your hospital colleague has so dismissed the GP from his mind as not to reply to the referral letter. I am sure it is just thoughtlessness and the consultant may well amend his practice if he realises what a demoralising effect it has on the patient's GP.<BR/><BR/>In these times when doctors are feeling besieged by the press and the government and even occasional patients, doctors rely on the support of their colleagues as well as the appreciation and understanding of their patients to keep going. <BR/><BR/>For many GPs the extra ninety minutes tagged onto the end of the day and the extension of the week to include Saturday mornings will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Although in theory it's voluntary, practices will be put under pressure to deliver and there are no new resources to do it, in fact resources are being taken away from daytime care. Those over 50 are considering retirement and the younger ones are looking at Australia and Canada. What a shame for a country which pioneered the development of general practice and family medicine as a speciality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631567898928853978.post-51372838373783511742008-03-06T20:36:00.000+00:002008-03-06T20:36:00.000+00:00Good to see you back again, Doc BrownGood decision...Good to see you back again, Doc Brown<BR/><BR/>Good decision on the last patient of the day. <BR/><BR/>As regards the Government plan :-(<BR/><BR/>I consider consultants writing to patients to be a risky business and it should only be done if it's been discussed as an option at the time of the consultation.<BR/><BR/>Being a bit old and fuddy-duddy too, I agree that letters should be addressed to the referring doctor :D<BR/><BR/>Stay well!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631567898928853978.post-15717847925821162602008-03-06T18:48:00.000+00:002008-03-06T18:48:00.000+00:00As a patient, I have receeived one copy of the let...As a patient, I have receeived one copy of the letter to the GP by a Consultant Neurologist. I very much appreciated it. No other consultants have had the courtesy to do so. When I mentioned this to my last GP, he printed off a copy of his letter from the Consultant Cardiologist.<BR/><BR/>I really was grateful for the opportunity to read and digest his comments and recommendations so I could discuss them with my GPElainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06847149482684623481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631567898928853978.post-64047293720582199362008-03-06T14:31:00.000+00:002008-03-06T14:31:00.000+00:00If you are really keen you can write separate lett...If you are really keen you can write separate letters to the GP and the patient - http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/4/2Dr Grumblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631567898928853978.post-8441404369575510852008-03-06T11:53:00.000+00:002008-03-06T11:53:00.000+00:0010 hours clinical toil with another half hour's ad...10 hours clinical toil with another half hour's admin and pressure for another 90 minutes?! Jumping ship from GP land to hospital . . . phew . . . there but for the grace of God go I!<BR/><BR/>As has been pointed out, even those devoted public servants, our laudable MPs, don't work 12 hours days each and every day (and weekends and night cover too).<BR/><BR/>Letters. I write back to the GP after each referral's seen. I write to my colleagues about things that are relevant when I want them to do something and would copy the GP in out of courtesy, even though the GP isn't having to act on anything then. After any interaction (even writing a script for 2 months of memantine this morning) I write to the GP saying what I've done.<BR/><BR/>Seldom do I write to patients.<BR/><BR/>I used to but patient groups and carer groups locally don't care for it. Our Royal College said it's not typically seen as useful in older peoples' mental health services (and can be unhelpful). For 2 years I wrote zealously but, well, everyone was right. Now I just copy patients in or write directly to them when there's a specific purpose in doing so.<BR/><BR/>Most correspondence is sharing involved or technical clinical detail between one doctor and another. Governance issues preclude dumbing down and obfuscating salient sensitive details. So that's that, then.The Shrinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10009039342346247138noreply@blogger.com