Our Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, seems to think that it matters not which GP he sees. At the opening of a health centre in Middlesborough he stated that he “couldn’t care less which GP” he saw.
Admittedly the fit and healthy with a transient problem mainly want to see someone competent and pleasant when they have a brief illness. However, those with long term conditions, be it hypertension, asthma, cancer or any of the myriad illnesses with which we deal in our surgeries do desperately want to have a long term therapeutic relationship with a named GP who they know and trust to guide them through their illness and to navigate for them the increasing complexities of the health and social services.
It is of proven therapeutic benefit to patients to have a long term commitment from their own doctor to their care. It is a cost saving to the health service to have one senior and well trained doctor guiding the patient and sometimes protecting them from unnecessary, risky and costly over-investigation, rendered unnecessary due to their long term knowledge of the patient and their family and social situation.
If it were so irrelevant to know your doctor, why do GPs have a consistent approval rating of over 90%, a rating for which most politicians would give their right arm?