They carry out their role by advising patients and preventing illnesses, they go about doing this by prescribing medicines. The true nature of the job is to help people and prevent them from getting illnesses in the first place and they can also teach patients about health, which could help them also in the future. GP’s are the first people to be consulted when there are symptoms of a disease or illness of any sort unless it is serious and needs immediate help in which you would go to a hospital. General Practitioners are an essential part of the NHS and medical healthcare, they are very important to the local community and there is often a surgery nearby so it is easy to get in touch with a GP.
What should they know?
A general practitioner should possess a strong knowledge of medical conditions. Why? GP’s should know about medical conditions, as they will be able to diagnose them and help. They need to know everything about the human body and be able to understand how it works before trying to read symptoms and assessing their problems.
They should also know about healthy lifestyles, which could help them to educate patients about their own healthcare and help them to prevent illnesses happening. I also think that it is important for general practitioners to know about physical, emotional and social issues as this can help them to understand why the patients are becoming ill and be able to talk to them about their personal issues which could aid GP’s in providing more help and knowledge to the patient.
Technical skills
A GP should be able to use a computer well as they will be using it to keep notes on patients and prescriptions. They also need to have good communication skills, as they will need to check up on patients on the phone and visiting them at home.
Specialist Equipment
Computers are used to store people's details and also a wide range of personal tools such as:
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Auroscope – used for examining the external ear
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Blood glucose testing equipment – test diabetes and kidney disease
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Defibrillator – to stop patients heart when they’re having a heart attack
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Ear irrigation machine – used when someone is suffering from earache from too much wax
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ECG machine – non-invasive technique used to remove wax once its been softened
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Examination lamps – lights that help when diagnosing
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Nebuliser – helps you breathe and opens up your airwaves in your lungs
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Pulse Oximeter – medical device that measures the oxygen saturation of a patient’s blood
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Spirometer – breathing apparatus that tests your airwaves and the strength of your exhalation
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Sphygmomanometer – blood pressure cuff that measures blood pressure
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24 hour BP machine – blood pressure machine that measures blood pressure over 24 hours
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Steriliser – used to sterilise equipment, may need to use same equipment on different patients so needs to be micro free
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Thermometer – takes temperatures
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Vaccine fridge – used to store vaccines
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Weighing scales – to calculate a patient’s weight in stones and kilograms
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Stethoscope – used to listen to heartbeats and other internal organs
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Qualifications and training required:
Doctors receive their primary medical qualification – typically denoted in the UK as MBBS, MBChB, BM, or MB BCh - on successful completion of the medical school undergraduate course, which normally lasts five years.
Doctors then enter a two-year Foundation Programme which forms a bridge between medical school and specialist or general practice training, and provides trainee doctors with grounding in practical medicine and core clinical skills.
In order to qualify as a GP, doctors must then undertake specialist training normally comprising of two years of hospital rotations and at least twelve months in-job training as a GP Registrar in a practice.
Hospital rotations for trainee GPs will only include specialties linked with family medicine, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, paediatrics and internal medicine. The training does not result in a new set of letters after the doctor's name, but the certificate of completion issued is required in order to work as a GP in the UK.
Some GPs work towards higher degrees (doctorates) by undertaking original research. The degrees vary according to the university, but the abbreviations would be DM, DPhil, MD or PhD.
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The personal qualities required to be a good GP include:
Why?
- Ability to care about patients and their relatives
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A commitment to providing high quality care – could get charged and the patient could get serious diseases if they’re wrong and you could get bad rep
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An awareness of one's own limitations – do what you specialise in
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An ability to seek help when appropriate – could make a mistake
- Commitment to keeping up to date and improving quality of one's own performance
- Appreciation of the value of team work
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Clinical competence – able to use medical apparatus properly
- Organisational ability
- Must be empathetic towards patients
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
- Be able to keep confidential information to their selves.
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Rules and regulations a GP must follow:
They must not have a sexual or improper emotional relationship of any kind with a patient because you need to maintain professional boundaries and the trust of patients and the public.
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If there is a possibility of a sexual relationship with a former patient they should consider: the former patients vulnerability, nature of previous professional relationship and how long the professional relationship lasted and when it ended. A personal judgement needs to be made and you need to consider the nature and possible circumstances and if you would be abusing your professional position.
They must respect a patients wish to keep all information they confide confidential and also any medical problems or medication unless the safety of others are put at risk, for example, when someone with HIV continues to have unprotected sex and doesn’t tell their partner about their infection.
They should prescribe the correct medication after diagnosing a patient as anything other than the correct medication could harm the patient.
They should not have consumed any alcohol before or during work as this can affect the way a GP works and mistakes can be made in diagnosis’s or when prescribing medicine etc.
Every patient should be treated equally – no biasness towards any patients as this can lose the respect and trust of patients and the public.
They should not over prescribe medication when it is not needed, as this could be harmful to the patient.
They are expected to turn up to work punctually as it is professional and so that any appointments wont overrun each other.
They should not try to deal with a patient by their selves if it is clear that further professional help is needed in a different specialised field as the patient wouldn’t be able to get the best possible help and the patient’s safety is at risk.
- Must not be taking drugs as this could affect the way a GP works and put the patient in danger.
- NO abuse of patient (financially, mentally or physically.)
- Must participate in training every year or two years, as there will be new and vital information that would help you in the future.
- Treat patients with dignity and respect.
- You must protect patients from risk of harm posed by another colleague's conduct...The safety of patients must come first at all times. If you have concerns that a colleague may not be fit to practise, you must take appropriate steps without delay, so that the concerns are investigated and patients protected where necessary
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Interview with a GP
DR R. E. ZAKANI – My GP
30 Upton Rd
WATFORD
WD18 0JS
- Who are you and what do you do?
“I am a general practitioner, patients present themselves with their problems and I try to help in any way possible by prescribing medicine and giving advice on how to keep a healthy lifestyle and prevent any further problems, which could result in illnesses. I look at the patient’s medical history and try to work out what might be causing them to have these symptoms. There could be a high increase in stress levels or a lack of vitamins in their diet. I also do house checkups for the elderly or anyone incapable in visiting me here at the surgery.”
- If your profession didn’t exist, what impact would it have on society?
“I think it would have a big impact as GP’s are normally seen as the first people to contact when ill unless it’s an emergency. They are important as they can deal with anyone with all sorts of problems.”
- Which other profession in the NHS do you work closely with?
“I work with five other GPs, a counsellor and three practice nurses. There are also other professions such as a chiropodist, midwives and health visitors. I have a secretary and there are six receptionists who work shifts within the surgery.”
- Can you tell me more about the technical skills or scientific knowledge you need to do you role?
“You need to know everything about the human body and how it works. Biology is very important and should be studied further as it is vital to know about this subject vigorously.
You don’t need to possess many technical skills but you do need to be able to use a computer as they will be used to store medical notes on patients and also a phone to check up on patients. You should also know how to use the specialist equipment as they may be needed when helping with a patient.”
- How did you become a GP?
- A levels.
- Medical training.
- Foundation training.
- Three years' specialist GP training.
- Why did you decide to become a GP?
“I chose to specialize as a GP because it was patient-centered and I could establish long-term relationships with my patients. We don't just deal with clinical conditions and prescribe medicines. Often people talk to their GP because they feel lonely, stressed or low. It is quite amazing how much people trust their GP.”
- What personal qualities should a GP have?
“GPs hold a position of trust in society - it's what drew me to the job. So you must have the interpersonal skills to put people at ease. The same is true when working in a close team. Dealing with ill people can be stressful, so you need to understand and communicate with colleagues, recognizing when and why things are getting to them. Share your problems as well. If you are aware of your own limitations, people respect you more.”
How is the interview useful?
The financial structure of the NHS
The financial structure begins with the Parliament in which Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer deals with all economic and financial matters. He decides to give the Department of Health, headed by Alan Johnson, £106 billion which is then split between 10 Health Authorities.
Picture Source: http://www.cpa.org.uk/sap/glossary/images/SHA_Map.gif
The Strategic Health Authority Configurations were split into 10 sections as of 1st July 2006 when there were 28 originally. This change from 28 authorities to 10 made a difference as there were fewer discrepancies between each area as there were fewer constituencies. The leaders of each health authority could decide to provide certain types of drugs but not all due to costs and this could be inconvenient for patients living in the postcode as they would have to move to another area to get the right medication. Having 10 regions works for the better and there would be all types of drugs to go around the whole area and get to the patients who need it.
The money is split unequally but the bigger the population, the more money is given to that area. It also depends on how much more money is being earned in the area and there tends to be more being earned the further south you go.
In each strategic health authority, the money is split between two health trusts:
25% of the funds go to the NHS Trust and 75% to the Primary Care Trust.
In the NHS Trust, the 25% of money is spent on the hospitals and its staff, training, buildings and equipment etc. In the hospitals, you would be asked who your GP is and they will then send a bill to them. The hospitals generally look after you but they don’t pay for your medication, they provide the facilities and medical team to help the patients get better.
In the Primary Care Trust, the 75% of money is mostly spent on Drugs and the rest on the GP surgeries. The money for the GP surgeries is also divided into paying the GP’s personal incomes, salaries of other staff such as nurses and receptionists, cleaners and building and equipment. This large sum of money helps in paying the bills sent over from the hospital for medication for the GP’s patients. Thus why most of the money is spent on the drugs and 75% is required as medication can be expensive.
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