I had a conversation the other day that led me, emphatically, to realise why the ‘powers that be’ don’t understand what actually happens in general practice.
Like most practices, we’ve been inundated with patients not being able to get a COVID Passport. One patient in particular was having terrible problems not being able to get her passport; I’d dealt with her a couple of times and had tried to signpost her to the correct agencies. The day before her business trip, her COVID Passport still wasn’t sorted and in desperation she asked to speak to me again.
My hands were completely tied, of course, because general practice, as we all know, don’t issue COVID Passports. The patient was crying on the phone, unsure where to turn next. “Leave it with me,” I said. I made a few calls, sent a few emails and eventually got to speak to someone who dealt with the passport’s quality issues.
I explained the predicament our patient was in. I was quite astounded to be told, “Why are you getting involved? It’s not your job.” Of course, I knew this already! He said, “You should just give them the helpline, and that’s it.”
Don’t you think I’ve ******** done that already, ten days ago? I said in my head.
“Yes, I did that ten days ago,” I said. “However, the patient still hasn’t managed to get her passport and has been passed around many people and now has come back to her GP practice. That’s what patients normally do,” I said. “They normally come back to general practice. If and when they can’t get answers elsewhere, they come back to their practice for all sorts of things that aren’t ‘our job’ and we then do whatever we can to help them. That’s what we do.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said. “It’s not your job.”
It got me thinking about what general practice would look like if we did really just ‘do our job’.
When the district nurse hasn’t turned up and the patient rings to tell us, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When the patient rings up because they can’t remember their NHS number, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When the patient runs in to say a bird is trapped in a drain in the carpark and they’re not sure what to do, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When the patient is too scared to come into the surgery and asks to be seen in their car, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When a patient has no money and needs a letter from their GP to help them get a home, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When a patient rings for a home visit and we all know it’s because she’s lonely, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When patients ring to say they haven’t been seen in secondary care and they’re worried, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When patients come back in to say they’ve lost their glasses, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When someone comes in to say their parent with dementia went for a walk and hasn’t returned, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When someone is too frightened to ring for an ambulance and asks us to do it for them, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
When community services aren’t able to vaccinate a patient living rurally due to resources, we could just say, “Sorry, it’s not our job.”
And so on.
In general practice, none of us just do ‘our job’. We’re the hub of the community. We provide general medical services and more. Some people may say we shouldn’t. I, for one, wouldn’t work in a practice where we simply ‘did our job’. We’re human beings trying to help other human beings. We don’t have magic wands or bottomless resources; however, we do have empathy and understanding.
General practice isn’t run on a set of rigid rules; it’s run on humanity and compassion.
It’s our job.
PM Polly x
July 8, 2021 at 8:04 pm
Polly, this is just brilliant- thank you again for so eloquently putting what we all feel down on paper!
July 9, 2021 at 6:36 am
We do it because General Practice has empathy and compassion – we just care about folks
Great article
July 9, 2021 at 6:49 am
Just perfect. I’d really like to share this on Facebook, would you mind? No names of course!
July 9, 2021 at 10:09 am
Of course! Please do share.
July 9, 2021 at 10:23 am
Thank you, done!!
July 9, 2021 at 7:21 am
Just perfectly expresses the reality – both about what we do, and the fact that sadly others don’t understand half of what we do
July 9, 2021 at 7:42 am
I have always said “IF I only did what was my job I’d be home by 10am every day”.
and you are quite right. Patients & their families see “us” as the solver of all problems.. in lockdown 1 we got quite a few “who can do my mum’s shopping we’re 300 miles away”… the patient needing admission from the surgery who is worried about their dog (that was tied up outside), so our receptionist took it home for 4 days.
It’s a never ending list isnt it..
July 9, 2021 at 7:53 am
I’m so glad you put this. There is nothing worse than people who wish to do ‘just the job’ without care and flexibility we wouldnt function. And that is just from internal staff!!! If our receptionist only did their job we would be short on shifts besides a lot more. Everyone, nurses, GP’s, Pharmacists, paramedics, admin, deputies, care coordinators the list goes on. We work together to ensure we can do more than just our job for every patient registered and more.
July 9, 2021 at 8:06 am
Wow. Before reading this, I had actually forgotten just how much we do !!
For all of us, this is just a typical day in General Practice and it is such a shame that this is neither recognised or appreciated. Well said x
July 9, 2021 at 8:07 am
This is very well written and really hits the nail on the head!
July 9, 2021 at 8:24 am
Excellent article Polly. These are the regular issues we deal with that ‘isn’t our job’ and it would be great if there was a way of publicising the fact that we serve our community in all these different forms that go unnoticed. If we didn’t do these things, no one else in the community would!
July 9, 2021 at 8:25 am
So True.
Staff do so many things that could be stated as “not our job”
a lot of them have beem SLPs for years.
July 9, 2021 at 8:36 am
Too true -just yesterday we had a patient’s irate family on because their Covid test results were not back yet and it was a special birthday in the family that they had travelled across the country for. Not our job to get these results but reception went online to see if could help anyway as could understand their frustration – she was invited to the party in the end! Again time spent on this instead of doing what should be our job. Powers that be trying to claw back Covid funding from us now as we really didn’t have anything to do with Covid workload!!!
July 9, 2021 at 8:43 am
Beautifully put Polly. Many thanks for voicing this; and for also providing a window into what we are all “thinking but not saying” when presented with such a Jobsworth.
This could provide endless fun as a Forum post: “tasks we do that are not our job”
July 9, 2021 at 9:59 am
Great idea Andrew. Please do post a thread in the forum. Will be a popular one!
July 9, 2021 at 8:44 am
When someone says this to me, I feel like saying, they would’nt come to us if you DID YOUR JOB. Straight to the point as usual Polly!
Sorry for rant but just back, after being unwell and patient wants letter for laminate flooring to be fitted in their childs bedroom in their new council house.
You just would’nt believe it!
July 9, 2021 at 8:53 am
Brilliant! Couldn’t agree more!
July 9, 2021 at 8:58 am
Fabulous article- and totally says it like it is!!
July 9, 2021 at 9:19 am
Very true, and the day we say ‘It’s not our job’ is the time to leave General Practice!
July 9, 2021 at 9:40 am
Excellent thought
July 9, 2021 at 9:56 am
This is brilliant. Are we ok to put it on Facebook please?
July 9, 2021 at 10:10 am
Yes, of course, please do.
July 9, 2021 at 10:50 am
This is fantastic! Thank you. May I put this on our website at some stage?
July 9, 2021 at 12:33 pm
Yes, please do.
July 9, 2021 at 12:58 pm
Overwhelmed by all your comments – it certainly makes me and I hope all of us feel better to know that we are not in this alone, that we all experience these same issues and most importantly that we are not just ‘doing our job’. We wouldn’t be in this job if that was our attitude but it sure would be helpful if the powers that be recognised practices do – instead of constantly asking us to prove what we do, fighting against what we do and the most helpful part would be if they, indeed, at least, did ‘their job’!
July 9, 2021 at 4:24 pm
So true – and despite that, we are still accused of not being there for the patients during the pandemic. At least we know the truth and I can live with that (plus a little light swearing not verbalised!).
July 10, 2021 at 8:57 am
Absolutely brilliant, please can I share?
July 11, 2021 at 10:40 am
Brilliant article, if we loose care and compassion for our patients as humans with complicated, sometimes very difficult lives, is will be a very sad day for General Practice. I completely agree we are there for the community, and if that means taking time to help, even if the practice ‘don’t get paid to do that’! A phrase I hear , that makes me fear for the future ethos of General Practice. Well said Dwysan!
July 17, 2021 at 9:00 am
What would you say to the partner who says at the appraisal “Sorry no rise you have not been doing your job”