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General practitioner consultations in the UK are the shortest among developed countries, survey results suggest.
A poll conducted by the Health Foundation among over 11,000 general practitioners from 11 countries revealed that UK’s general practitioners spend the least amount of time for medical consultations. In the UK, 92% of consultations with a general practitioner are carried out in under 15 minutes, while only an average of 27% are carried under the same amount of time in other nations. Aside from the heavy workload of doctors, the scarcity of practitioners is another reason why consultations go under time.
Although minor health concerns can be consulted in 10 minutes, critical health issues require more time to be addressed. However, longer consultations are problematic because the demand for doctors exceeds the actual number of doctors. Since 2010, consultations have increased by 15% in the UK, while the number of doctors has not increased equally. An increase in the length of consultation time for some would mean fewer consultations available to all.
Different action plans have been proposed to address the short consultation time and relieve the pressure on worn-out doctors in the UK. One involves imposing stricter measures, such as charging patients for missed appointments. Reducing hospital care and increasing community service programs are also expected to cut back on expenses and increase the efficiency of the National Health Service (NHS). Another proposal, the GP Forward View, involves raising medical funds to £2.4 billion a year and adding 5,000 more doctors by 2020.