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- Page navigation anchor for Primary care contacts. Training of future GP'sPrimary care contacts. Training of future GP's
There has been debate in the BMJ1 on several occasions over the last 20 years about whether a UK GP is the best source of care for ill children, as opposed to community based paediatric trained doctors. It remains almost unbelievable that one can qualify as a GP without having done a paediatric job.
With the lack of direct contact with many children in the last 2 years a huge amount of experience will have been missed for those in training and de skilling for those in post (though additional skills in remote assessment gained).
Parents may have also lost 'faith' in having family doctor available having been passed to 111 and then urgent care when their children were ill.
Reference
1. Hall D, Sowden D. Primary care for children in the 21st century. BMJ 2005; 330 :430 doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7489.430.
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Impact of COVID-19 on primary care contacts with children and young people in England - context pleaseImpact of COVID-19 on primary care contacts with children and young people in England - context please
Dear Dr Smith,
Our article does not “chastise” primary care. We fully understand the pressures that NHS primary care is currently under.1 We have included the appropriate context for our figures showing falls in GP contacts with children. Our article begins by mentioning NHS England directives to protect patients and healthcare workers from COVID-19, describing that the NHS recommended remote triaging before any face-to-face contact to reduce infection risk. We also state that the public were advised to stay at home to limit transmission of COVID-19 to reduce pressures on the NHS, and that GPs were asked to prioritise consultations for urgent and serious conditions and suspend routine appointments for planned or preventive care. Throughout our discussion, we provide suitable context for our figures by explaining that at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic remote consultations provided practical solutions for GP appointments for those shielding or self-isolating.
Hence, our message is that GPs were able to manage children and young people safely during the most challenging period of this pandemic. This was a time when there were shortages in protective equipment, and when the risk to healthcare workers was highest. All those working in primary care should be proud of how they rose to meet these challenges at the start of the pandemic.2
References
1. Hodes S, Mair F, Majeed A. GPs should not be made scapegoats...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Impact of COVID-19 on primary care contacts with children and young people in England - context pleaseImpact of COVID-19 on primary care contacts with children and young people in England - context please
Your article lacks the context of these figures with no mention of the direction that was suggested to primary care by NHS England and indeed the government.
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/gps-told-to-switch-to-remote-consultations-to-combat-covid-19
You also fail to mention this was also during times when no vaccination was available and some high-risk colleagues could not see patients physically. Do not forget the lack of PPE and deaths to healthcare staff as a result of the pandemic was ever present.
I am disappointed your article only shows figures with absolutely no context at all and meant to further chastise primary care.
Competing Interests: None declared.