Author: Owain Thomas
Cover| 25 Jul 2011 | 15:40
Doctors have called on Britons to take greater responsibility for
their health and voiced their fears that GP-led commissioning could
harm patient care.
Research from Aviva has revealed that doctors felt better health
education would greatly improve the nation's experience of the health
service but had concerns about rationing treatments.
The vast majority (88%) of GPs said they spend up to a quarter of
their time dealing with minor issues that don't need professional
medical attention.
A similar number (93%) also spent a quarter of their time on medical
conditions that a practice nurse could address.
This sentiment was verified by half (48%) of respondents suggesting
that a significant amount of their time is spent dealing with patients
who do not look after themselves, while 46% added that better public
education was needed.
Many of the 200 GPs surveyed (75%) also believed that if used in the
right way, self-education about a condition will help improve the
quality of decisions made about healthcare and benefit patient health.
However, four in ten (42%) doctors were concerned that they had not
been able to refer patients for some treatments because they were not
available in their area.
This was particularly true for complex medical conditions such as work
related stress (53%), chronic fatigue syndrome (60%), eating disorders
(53%) and food allergies (56%).
The insurer's bi-annual Health of the Nation report listed the top
things that GPs feel would improve patients' experience of the health
service were: longer appointments (76%); faster diagnostic services
(63%); shorter waiting lists (48%); and improvements in the quality of
clinical care (45%).
But worryingly, over half (56%) feel that taking part in commissioning
of NHS services will shift their focus from patient care onto
administration while 48% feel that they will find it harder to devote
time to their patients.
Dr Doug Wright, head of clinical development at Aviva UK Health said:
"Our research clearly demonstrates that GPs want to do the best for
their patients by giving them the time and treatment they require.
"Yet this is an increasing challenge in the current environment. While
it's important to stress that people should always seek help if they
are concerned about their health, they need to be educated to make
informed choices about who they turn to for support.
"Similarly, promoting a better understanding of healthy living and
encouraging individuals to manage their own health could go a long way
to address some of the challenges identified.
"This would help free up GPs' time to allow them to offer the best
quality of care to the individuals that really need their help," he
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