[the truth]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I don't agree with your issue, though.

The real, similar yet completely different, issue is not people having to go to hospital when they could have seen an out-of-hours GP... it's people feeling like they have to seek medical attention for every little cough, ache and pain in the first place.

Health illiteracy is the major drain. People are afraid of their health, afraid of their bodies, afraid to say "Err you know what, I probably don't actually need urgent medical attention right this very second". It's well-meaning, but flawed, campaigns saying "If you have had a cough for two weeks see a doctor immediately", the implication being "YOU PROBS HAVE CANCER!", when in actual fact everyone has coughs that last several weeks at some point and 99.999% of the time it's a simple respiratory tract infection, usually viral, that even antibiotics are useless for, so actually it's a complete waste of doctor's time.

In other words; the vast majority of people who go seeking out-of-hours "Emergency" care simply do not need it at all... but the public has been nannied and babied to the point that grown adults have no idea how to assess their own health accurately. Most people know, or definitely should know, when they are in an emergency situation and they should immediately head to A&E. If it is not one of those situations, then they simply in most cases don't need medical attention of any kind and could wait to discuss their ailment with their GP within normal hours.

Education of the public is key to lessening the burden on the NHS. Nothing to do with staff.

Yes ALL out of hours doctors calls are fake and therefore ALL doctors wont work out of hours. Genius. Lol. Thanks for at least addressing the subject , at long last. But your reply is the most ridiculous one I have EVER read. I am embarassed for you.