A new study from Aviva Insurance has discovered that some 57% of general practitioner doctors are claiming that they have less time to see their patients than five years ago.

Worryingly, the Aviva Insurance study revealed that 50% of GPs said that this lack of time affected their ability to do their job and what’s worse, that 43% actually believed it affected their ability to diagnose.

Practising GP and chief medical officer at Aviva Insurance, Dr Hugh Laing, said:
“At Aviva we are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our customers and we recognise the important role that GPs have in delivering this. To enable us to do this it is vital that we understand the concerns which affect both consumers and the healthcare industry in general.

“Our research shows that GPs are over stretched and this can affect the quality of support they are able to offer their patients. Web based technology has revolutionised the way we all work and fast access to high quality information can be an invaluable support for patients and professionals, but ultimately there is no substitute for a thorough assessment by a qualified GP, and from our research this is clearly not happening in many cases. As such we urge the new coalition Government to support and work with GPs to ensure delivery of the right care for patients.

“Aviva Insurance believes that people should have the peace of mind that they can talk to a GP for as long as they need at any time of the day or night.”

The Aviva Insurance study went into some detail regarding the time GPs spend with their patients, saying that most are likely to spend up to 20 minutes with each patient, whereas in reality, only ten minutes is possible. And the GPs’ patients seem to be agreeing, with another Aviva Insurance research report discovering that nearly 65% of people thought that NHS appointments were always rushed and that feeling is spreading to the doctor’s surgeries.

Another interesting fact that the Aviva Insurance study brought to the surface was the fact that of the doctors questioned, the vast majority (around 96%) use the internet on a daily basis when working and that online resources were a valuable diagnostic tool.
 
Lets hope that the Aviva Insurance report doesn’t reveal at a later date that internet usage is not about diagnosis, but checking that day’s horse racing form.

Guest Article by Neil Camp