A Welsh doctor says GPs are working harder than ever before - and to hear people say they aren't trying is "soul-destroying". Dr Kate Davies, said she and her colleagues are facing an unfair backlash over issues which are out of their control.
The GP said they are working long days, with huge workloads and staff shortages. Dr Davies told North Wales Live that false claims that there are no face-to-face appointments available have led to a harmful "anti-GP rhetoric".
"We're working harder than ever but the NHS is broken," said Dr Davies. "GPs are working flat-out, most of us are working 12 or 13-hour days and yet people are still saying that GPs are lazy and they're not working hard enough. It's absolutely horrifying to read about delays across the NHS and just how broken the NHS is. My worry is that the public don't realise just how hard GPs are working behind the scenes." Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
"I've been seeing people face-to-face throughout the pandemic but for some reason people have got an idea that we don't want to see our patients. All I want to do as a GP is help my patients and make sure they get the treatment they need so to hear that people think we're not trying is soul-destroying."
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The GP, who works at Gwrych Medical Centre in Abergele, said cancelled operations and increased waiting times had been frustrating for both patients and medical staff. Earlier this month one nurse told WalesOnline how she dreads going into work because of significant staff shortages.
Dr Davies said: "The waiting list for hospital specialists is at least two years and we're having to deal with the fall-out from that as well. It means they keep coming back to their GP but each time they're getting more frustrated because they're in pain and not getting anywhere."
"It's incredibly frustrating for everyone, we understand that, but I don't think people realise the impact it has when they're rude or abusive to staff. The more people are rude or angry with our teams, the more it impacts on the ability of GP practices to survive. Our reception teams have to deal with extraordinary amounts of stress because of the way that people talk to them, when they themselves are working long hours under immense pressure. It's not acceptable to take out your frustration on the individual you're speaking to because it's not their fault, they're working as best they can in a broken system." Get the latest political analysis in your inbox - sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
Dr Davies added: "My message for people who are frustrated would be to take that to their MP to campaign for increased funding to help us to deal with this enormous workload. People forget that we're human beings too.
"When you're working until 11 o'clock at night and then on your days off to try and catch up and people are still angry with you for not doing enough, I just want people to remember that I'm a doctor, but I'm also a human being. I just want people to be kind to GP staff because we're doing everything we possibly can."
