I find GPs pretty useless on the whole tbh. You wait 4 weeks to get a 15 minute appointment where most the time they just want to get you out the door as quickly as possible and chuck some medication at you. Go to three different GPs you'll get three different responses as well. God help anyone who is genuinely unwell in this country right now because it's such an ordeal just to get a referral (which you then wait another 3-6 months for)

Hmm. I see where you’re coming from but from my experience GPs can often be hesitant to prescribe anything (not just sedatives/benzo’s/antibiotics). When there are significant drug-drug interactions I understand the hesitancy behind prescribing or upping the dose on certain medications (sometimes you get a partial response but know that there’s still vast room for improvement) but sometimes it’s a case of one doctor recommending propranolol for you off the bat and another refusing beta-blockers because you have a history of mild childhood asthma, which beta-blockers might make “worse.” I’m not saying that there isn’t some potential truth in that (for example) but I just feel like there’s a balance to strike between throwing random pills at people (which they might not even be compatible with) at the drop of a hat and being too cautious when it comes to giving them drugs that they might actually need. Every drug comes with side-effects but so long as they’re not likely to kill your or interact negatively with other medicines you’re talking it’s got to be your choice and yours alone, because you’re the only one who fully knows your body inside and out. Doctors and pharmacists can advise but sometimes harsh side-effects are a small price to pay for complete recovery and are more bearable than the illness itself.

I had all sorts of issues with my GP, so much so that I formally requested a change of doctor. Once I broke that barrier it was plain sailing and my care level was great.

Doctors surgeries can't hide poor performance anymore. All you have to do is look online at surgery reviews and it soon becomes very obvious where the problems lie.

One of the biggest issues I have seen is that because surgeries struggle to recruit doctors, they take on staff that work part time. When that happens you lose the connection that provides continuity and responsibility. My issues were solved by simply selecting a doctor that worked full time and had experience in the area that i needed. I went from waiting months for specialist referrals to next day priority, I honestly couldn't believe the difference

I prefer speaking to some doctors more than others (the practice I’m currently registered to has different GPs, some of them locum) but I’ve never had an out-and-out experience with any GP that I’d call bad, I have to admit. By-and-large they’re lovely people who just want to do their bit to help.