Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users
to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response
is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual
response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the
browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published
online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed.
Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles.
The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being
wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our
attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not
including references and author details. We will no longer post responses
that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
The topic in itself is a non starter. If one goes by current health secretary Matt Hancock’s own admission that he would like Primary care to move more towards digital appointments and remote consultation and NHS England’s nudge to GPs to conduct more face to face consultations, you could clearly see why this idea will be another monumental failure. If author thinks GP practices can be used as infrastructure for testing in a Covid secure manner with some reimbursements to offer, it may materialise immediately. There are examples of successful hot hubs in community mostly based in GP practices which are/were totally isolated from main premises and working independently with their own booking criteria but other than that most of GP time has been appropriately rooted in providing Covid safe remote appointments. The premise of asking possible Covid-19 patients to walk into GP practices and into pharmacies is a sure shot way of shutting these two vital community resources en masse.
Re: Operation Moonshot: GP clinics could be used to improve access to covid-19 tests
Dear Editor
The topic in itself is a non starter. If one goes by current health secretary Matt Hancock’s own admission that he would like Primary care to move more towards digital appointments and remote consultation and NHS England’s nudge to GPs to conduct more face to face consultations, you could clearly see why this idea will be another monumental failure. If author thinks GP practices can be used as infrastructure for testing in a Covid secure manner with some reimbursements to offer, it may materialise immediately. There are examples of successful hot hubs in community mostly based in GP practices which are/were totally isolated from main premises and working independently with their own booking criteria but other than that most of GP time has been appropriately rooted in providing Covid safe remote appointments. The premise of asking possible Covid-19 patients to walk into GP practices and into pharmacies is a sure shot way of shutting these two vital community resources en masse.
Competing interests: No competing interests