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CBT for uncomplicated phobias; “GPs with time and interest can easily perform this simple and satisfying service”.
I am a GP and I quite agree that as a GP I am perfectly capable of delivering such a treatment. I am perfectly capable of doing a vast number of things, often several of them at one time! I deliver services to a constant stream of patients with undifferentiated medical problems, more and more commonly managing acute problems in the context of chronic complex underlying disease. I try to “make every contact count” ensuring all who come within my gaze have their less than ideal habits and behaviors bought to their attention and a brief intervention offered. I work within a society that promises people free access to a doctor within 48 hours what ever their complaint. Unfortunately the same society has told people that they have the right to be happy all the time, any psychological distress is an “illness” and that any physical sensation “might be a cancer” and is best “checked out”.
In common with many of my colleagues I can remove skin lesions, inject joints and soft tissue problems, insert intrauterine and sub-dermal contraceptive devices, interpret 24 hour blood pressure and ECGs and perform a full gynecological examination in less than 10 minutes. Maybe less commonly I am trained to provide specialist services for those that misuse drugs, provide brief dynamic interpersonal therapy and am very interested in using CBT in time limited consultations. I am sure there are many many psychological techniques I could train up to deliver.
And it will only take an hour, just an hour.
Which hour is this? - the hour between 6am and 7am? On the days I work I am already “full” from 7am to 7:30pm. Or the hour between 8pm and 9pm when I try to eat dinner knowing that I will be logging into the work computer once I have said hello and good night to the children. Or one of the hours on the days I am not paid to be at work when I am not already working; there are not many of those left – my day “off” usually involves at least 4 or 5 hours of “work” work let alone keeping up to date, reading, preparing for appraisal and revalidation, providing unpaid teaching for the specialty training scheme. And of course now also CCG work.
Just an hour. In GP terms an hour for 1 patient is denying another 5 the opportunity to access medical care.
Our children have had to have their birthday parties without one or other of their parents present some years, because we are GPs and the job always comes first. Set against that maybe a party without balloons (to allow the balloon-phobic patient time to be referred into the local IAPT service and wait their turn for treatment) doesn't sound such an awful ordeal?
Competing interests:
Personal despair at the current GP workload
Re: Balloon phobia
CBT for uncomplicated phobias; “GPs with time and interest can easily perform this simple and satisfying service”.
I am a GP and I quite agree that as a GP I am perfectly capable of delivering such a treatment. I am perfectly capable of doing a vast number of things, often several of them at one time! I deliver services to a constant stream of patients with undifferentiated medical problems, more and more commonly managing acute problems in the context of chronic complex underlying disease. I try to “make every contact count” ensuring all who come within my gaze have their less than ideal habits and behaviors bought to their attention and a brief intervention offered. I work within a society that promises people free access to a doctor within 48 hours what ever their complaint. Unfortunately the same society has told people that they have the right to be happy all the time, any psychological distress is an “illness” and that any physical sensation “might be a cancer” and is best “checked out”.
In common with many of my colleagues I can remove skin lesions, inject joints and soft tissue problems, insert intrauterine and sub-dermal contraceptive devices, interpret 24 hour blood pressure and ECGs and perform a full gynecological examination in less than 10 minutes. Maybe less commonly I am trained to provide specialist services for those that misuse drugs, provide brief dynamic interpersonal therapy and am very interested in using CBT in time limited consultations. I am sure there are many many psychological techniques I could train up to deliver.
And it will only take an hour, just an hour.
Which hour is this? - the hour between 6am and 7am? On the days I work I am already “full” from 7am to 7:30pm. Or the hour between 8pm and 9pm when I try to eat dinner knowing that I will be logging into the work computer once I have said hello and good night to the children. Or one of the hours on the days I am not paid to be at work when I am not already working; there are not many of those left – my day “off” usually involves at least 4 or 5 hours of “work” work let alone keeping up to date, reading, preparing for appraisal and revalidation, providing unpaid teaching for the specialty training scheme. And of course now also CCG work.
Just an hour. In GP terms an hour for 1 patient is denying another 5 the opportunity to access medical care.
Our children have had to have their birthday parties without one or other of their parents present some years, because we are GPs and the job always comes first. Set against that maybe a party without balloons (to allow the balloon-phobic patient time to be referred into the local IAPT service and wait their turn for treatment) doesn't sound such an awful ordeal?
Competing interests: Personal despair at the current GP workload