In the same conversation with my medical person, we got onto the subject of the situation, where it is nigh impossible to get a face to face appointment with your GP.
This medical person, who keeps her or his nose to the ground, made a very interesting statement. That person said that whilst it is possible for a doctor to give a diagnosis for certain ailments via the internet, it was stated that if you have a face to face appointment, you get 10 minutes, which equates to 6 per hour.
But, if you have an online appointment, you get 15 minutes, which equates to 4 per hour; that is a reduction in efficiency of one third. Scale that up to the UK as a whole and you can understand as to why patients get so frustrated with their doctor’s surgery insofar that GP surgeries will actually process LESS patients by doing it online.
It therefore comes as no surprise that the waiting lists to see a doctor in person or via the internet are so long.
David's Diatribe 