petition comments

Thousands of the 15,000+ people who have signed our ‘Doctors Not Call Centres’ petition have written their reasons for signing

here are just 200 of them…

but is anyone at the ICB listening?

Similar to the vast majority of signers of the petition, please note that every comment on this page comes from a signer with a North West London postcode

“I want to see a doctor. My doctor.”

“I have already begun to experience the effects of being personally sent to GP hubs and this does not provide a good, effective or efficient experience”

“My GP knows my history and all my problems as well as my son’s. Having to tell all my history to someone else would be time consuming and frustrating. I want to talk/see someone that I know and trust.”

“I value my Doctor and surgery  and want continuity of care and a relationship with my doctors, locally and with the surgery team.”

“There will be no continuity at all and this will be dangerous service, as is now evidenced by 200 incidents with Physician Associates.”

“Proper professional and consistent medical care from a family doctor who knows and understands patients will be our only way out of the current health crisis.  This change will just keep vulnerable people moving round a faceless bureaucratic system.”

“I would like to know that if I ever have an emergency with my child that when I call my doctor I’m not talking to anyone other than my doctor or their receptionist.”

“Being under the care of a family doctor who knows you and your family history is vital for preventative care.”

“This is a complete undermining of individual GP surgeries and skills, continuity of care and patient care.”

“I want to contact my own GP service who know and understand me.”

“If this scheme is implemented I will vote with my feet and will present myself at my nearest A&E instead.”

“GPs need to have personal contact and know their patients.”

“I have been with the same Doctors for 30 years and I trust their dedication and service. I don’t want to be treated by strangers. I am a Carer and don’t want this disruption in my own care.”

“It’s heartbreaking to imagine GPs unable to continue their patients’ health journeys, feeling disconnected from the  essence of their profession.”

“I need the continuity of the family GP surgery that I and my family attend.  We need to see a doctor who we know and who knows us.”

“Yet another ‘pilot’ scheme for NW London.”

“I am a healthy 70 year old who nevertheless uses my GP once or twice a year and greatly value their excellent service.  This is the fundamental basis of our NHS.”

“I want to continue with the same doctor and not to be pushed from pillar to post”

“A recent report has shown patients do best when under the care of their own GP. At least patient care should be shared with GPs from the same practice.”

“Communication will be more difficult with this new system leading to many more mistakes and unnecessary distress, pain and earlier deaths.”

“I don’t want to be ‘assigned’ by and to someone who doesn’t know me.”

“I have a great GP and practice with an excellent team close by and I think continuity of care is very important.”

“Everyone needs continuity of care – not constant referrals where no-one takes responsibility”

“I am confident talking to someone I have met before.  Many patients will hide their symptoms and that leads  to more serious illness and end up in A&E.”

“Most of us most of us have known our GPs for a long time and it’s an important relationship for our wellbeing!”

“Ill-considered, rushed and desperate.”

“It is an appalling (and unwanted) change. It will make attendance more difficult, threaten continuity of care and increase the chances of clinical misdiagnosis. It is unwanted by both patients and GPs.”

“Why have the ICB not gone out to the public to consult? Because they know that many of us will reject it. I don’t want to be seen by just anyone, I want to be treated by my GP who has prior knowledge.”

“Family GPS have a background on our medical history and sometimes family/personal history and circumstances.”

“We need to know that we can call on our local GP when we are suffering. There cannot be a single patient that thinks this is a good idea.”

“I am a GP. We are skilled diagnosticians and know our patients. The efficient way to deliver patient care is to have the most skilled team who know the patient to see the patient at point of need, make a plan which then others can help to deliver.”

“This will have a big impact on whether your GP knows you as a family Doctor”

“A GP practice local to where you live is a vital support system for individuals and families  A referral hub will not serve patients accurately and tragedies are inevitable”

“I expect this “experiment” to fail. Despite failure it will be rolled out across the whole UK. That will wreck what we already have and hold dear”

“As a mother of three it’s good to see a GP who has seen my children grow up and understands their individual needs.”

“The potentially tragic consequences of not allowing patients to have a continuing relationship with their nearest surgery don’t bear thinking about.”

“The GP practice is very much needed – local community with humans who know their patients well!”

“Being ill is not just being given advice or medicine, it is knowing and trusting the doctor involved.”

“We don’t want non-clinical people deciding whether we need to see a doctor. Studies show that continuity of care is best for patients and saves money in the long run.”

“It’s better for everyone if we all have our own doctor who gets to know us.”

“People need access to their own  surgery and to be able to speak with a doctor.”

“I want to stay with the current system and have my GP, not triage from a non doctor in a faceless hub.”

“What quality or pleasure can there be for a GP treating an illness presented by a stranger or confidence for a patient that you are being treated as a person if the doctor doesn’t know you?”

“I want to see my GP in the surgery not someone else.”

“I want to continue to have direct access to my own GP who knows me and my health intimately.” 

“Everyone needs the personal care of their own GP.”

“The relationship I have with my GP practice is entirely based on trust.”

“I want to be able to see MY GP, not someone I don’t know at all”

“I want the ability to see my doctor not speak to someone in a call centre or a hub where there is no continuity.”

“I want to see my own doctor.”

“A&E will be swamped”

“It’s outrageous to stop people from seeing their own doctors, whom they have probably seen for years.”

“I want to see the same GP practice who know me and my family.”

“The system I have works for me because my doctor and his team know me and my history.”

“I’m appalled and in despair at this planned GP initiative.  Patient care with the same GP has been shown to improve patient health and recovery.”

“This treats people’s medical needs like cattle to market.”

“I and my family have been patients of a GP Surgery direct from its start and I have lived in the area since I was 3 yrs old. These GPs are familiar with my health needs which I do not wish to be passed to an unfamiliar person who i have never met.”

“I do not wish to lose any contact with my much respected GP.”

“It’s wrong in so many ways – what happened to care?”

“Relationship and trust are fundamental and paramount cornerstones of dealing with patient care (as are proper qualifications).”

“I want to continue seeing doctors at my own practice.”

“I want to continue seeing my wonderful doctor who is aware of my medical history and has acted with extra urgency probably saving my life on one occasion .”

“I’m absolutely horrified by this.  I haven’t been more impassioned about any other change campaign in the last few years.”

“I want to be seen by Doctors who know me.”

“I want to be part of a surgery”

“It’s important for patients to receive a continuity of service from GP practices.”

“I think all should be able to have access to their own GP”

“People fare better if they always see the same person, each time  they need care.”

“Another attack on the poorest in society.”

“A recent survey by Cambridge University showed that seeing the same doctor reduced the number of visits needed and improves care.”

“Everyone should be able you have access to family doctors.”

“Continuity of care is essential.  This proposed plan puts a barrier between the patient and access to care.”

“We want to revert to pre-pandemic family doctor care with same day appointments for urgent cases.”

“This system will not provide the same degree of diagnostic accuracy nor informed continuity of care.”

“We have had excellent care and support from our GP practice over the years and would very much like this to continue.  Continuity in GP care is much more efficient than the proposed system would be.”

“Continued care by a small group of people you know makes a difference to early diagnosis  and mental well being.”

“I do not want to be assigned I am not a product”

“The NHS as we know it is being dismantled without any input whatsoever from the users or even the doctors”

“I want continuity of care from my GP practice.”

“I truly value the personal qualified and caring service that my GP practice has provided for me and my family over the past 70 years, and don’t wish it changed to this impersonal detached hub”

“Continuity of care increases positive outcomes.  I do not wish triage to be carried out by anyone other than a doctor or nurse.”

“I want a relationship with my local surgery. Why change what works?”

“It’s important to keep your doctor for continuity if nothing else. Stop trying to watering down the NHS.”

“I want to see same Doctor at same surgery, when needed.  NOT a hub.”

“I am appalled by the lack of patient consultation.”

“I would like to stay connected with my local surgery”

“A family GP is important for essential and consistent care”

“I have a GP and I would like to be treated by my GP, not an unqualified person who I am never likely to see or hear from again. Believing in the competence of your GP is part of the getting well process.”

“It’s unfair not to be seen by a doctor that knows you personally, where you live, your home and family situation. This is where mistakes are made. How many people with serious conditions will be overlooked ?”

“Continuity of care must be a primary concern.”

“Trust (Patient-GP relationship) and continuity of care (follow-up of treatment/investigations) are essential to safety in acute on-the-day care as well as chronic disease management.”

“The lack of continuity of care and knowledge of the patient is prejudicial to patients health and will incur more substantial cost to the NHS in the longer term.”

“I do NOT want our NHS healthcare  to be watered down with unqualified Physician Associates replacing doctors.”

“I want to be seen by my own surgery.”

“We need to keep the continuity of being seen and treated by our GP surgeries.”

“I want my doctor to know me and my medical history.”

“It is just not right, lacks the personal touch”

“Keep people with family doctors that know their history.”

“If this is allowed to happen the whole concept of GP/patient relationship goes down the pan.”

“I’ve experienced this with my surgery and it failed miserably.”

“We need to see our own GP for continuity and service. The GP knows us personally and knows the family history. It’s hard enough as it is to explain what you are going through when you or a family member is ill. This will make it 10 time worse and impersonal.”

“I rarely visit my GP but when I do need to I want to be able to see him/her in person. Sometimes it’s not easy to explain or express the true nature of the problem. This is important as you may miss something that the doctors pick up.”

“There is no sense in introducing a system that is not supported by doctors or patients.”

“The bywords  during my career as a retired GP were ‘continuity of care’. This new concept will dilute the doctor-patient relationship even more.”

“Without the general practitioner at the heart of continuity of health care, patient care will suffer, serious conditions will be more frequently misdiagnosed, trust will be lost and the elderly or vulnerable will suffer most of all.”

“I want to continue contact with my surgery and healthcare professionals”

“GPs provide holistic and systemic assessments and link to whole families. Access for disadvantaged individuals, elderly and families will become more difficult.”

“It is especially important for same day appointments to be seen by their own GP as only they know of any underlying conditions.”

“I work in North West London and I worry for our vulnerable patients who suffer the most with health inequities.”

“I don’t want to see someone who isn’t my doctor. I have a relationship with them and find it hard to trust others as have had previously bad experiences. I know I’d think twice about seeing a stranger.”

“We need continuity of care, we want to be seen by our own surgery. So many people will be put off seeing a doctor, and there will be misdiagnoses and ultimately deaths.”

“A connection with a particular GP is important because you develop a personal relationship and also you need the Surgery to be near where you live.”

“The lack of explanation of these comprehensive changes has been, at best, most discourteous.”

“Having to go to a new surgery everytime to follow up — who will take overall responsibility?!”

“Most of the GPs have got to know you and probably your children & spouse in past years and therefore your circumstances.  People will be lost in the new system.”

“We were not consulted about this change. We want to be treated by our own doctors at our own surgeries.”

“There is recent research highlighting the benefits of developing a relationship with a specific doctor. So many cancers already diagnosed too late – this won’t improve the situation at all!”

“I would like to see my GP when I am not well, not someone who doesn’t know me and has no experience.”

“Our health service is precious and continuity of care is essential. A GP gets to know his patients and that knowledge leads to better care”

“Surely patients should have some decision making about whether they keep their GP or not.”

“We need to speak to our doctors for issues and also something can be confidential and needs that level of delicacy and also professional help.”

“My current GP is very fastidious and goes to the trouble of knowing his patients. He even phones patients to discuss test results. I do not think this proposed service would provide the same amount of care.”

“We aren’t tick boxes or medical files – we are human beings.”

“Local GP surgeries are vital in our communities. Listen to the GPs and their patients.”

“My GP is wonderful and picks up on things I may have forgotten to say. He has supported me through a complex bereavement just by his friendly and skilled managing of my medical matters. Nothing can replace the experience, skill and kindness of a good doctor. Stop the false economies!”

“A relationship with your GP is paramount ,knowing your history and building up a good relationship. Even seeing the same one has been proven to promote health and wellbeing so to ‘farm out’ to other unknown agencies is not only short sighted but likely to impair wellness.”

“The GP surgery is an essential part of our system for every age group. Its a basic need for us all and may well cause further illnesses if not properly seen to!”

“I was a FAMILY doctor for over 30 years. This is dangerous for patients – continuity of care is so important.”

“Maintaining access to our GPs, whom we know and trust, is massively important.”

“It is not good for people to feel anonymous. Don’t downgrade the whole system without involving the general public in the discussion.”

“Major changes like this need proper consultation”

“I go to my GP because he is a professional and I completely trust him.”

“I want to see my regular GP.”

“This needs consultation and local agreement. This risks lives.”

“I oppose not having continuing care from my GP surgery .”

“Continuity of care will be lost.”

“I value the contact with the doctors in my local surgery.”

“This is a bad change. It breaks the continuity between patients and doctors.”

“It’s dangerous to have unqualified medics making decisions about care. Take the classic indigestion symptom being confused with a heart attack as happened to my mother who then died.”

“I do not want to be diagnosed by someone who has not qualified as a doctor. I have been with the same GP surgery for nearly 40 years and my whole family go there and I have a rapport with the people at the surgery.”

“What has happened to having a trusting doctor patient relationship?”

“I insist on being able to see my own GPs, who I know very well.”

“I like to see my GP not somebody I don’t know”

“I want human contact when I am feeling poorly and not an anonymous overworked phone operative!!”

“Everyone should have access to their  own GP, especially if they have known them for many years.”

“I’m getting excellent care from my GP now. Any changes might jeopardise that.”

“I believe in personal continuity of medical appraisal.”

“This is awful for continuous care and for health care in general.  I have always found the best care from the doctors that know me the best.”

“This proposal is unacceptable – I want to see my own GP not one in another practice somewhere. Patients will end up going to A&E.”

“We are not machines, but sentient beings and real health care relates to deep understanding from other sentient beings in person.”

“I want and value continuity of care”

“I believe continuity with my own GP surgery is important.”

“This is another wall being constructed between a patient and a doctor at a practice who knows them.”

“I need to visit my doctor as I am not comfortable visiting someone who does not know my history.”

“I value my relationship with my GP.”

“I value my local GP surgery.”

“Patients need to be seen by their Doctors!”

“This is unsafe. Patients should see doctors at their Surgery as usual.”

“I do not have any trouble contacting my local GP so why change it?”

“Human contact is healing.”

“I want my GP.”

“A patient should be seen by the GPs at their surgery, as they are familiar with the patients’ individual ailments.”

“It is important to have the choice to visit my local doctor.”

“Continuation of care where you can chose the same doctor is vital for the wellbeing of patients and preempting more serious conditions. We are humans not numbers or robots. This is dangerous!”

“Want to see my doctor”

“Research shows that seeing the same GP every time is much more efficient”

“I want to keep my family doctor”

“I want to see a doctor in my surgery to diagnose any illness I may have, not be sent to a central “hub” someplace to see a random “care co-ordinator” who will decide if I am worthy of care by a doctor or not”

“I want to see my regular doctor”

“My GPs have everything organised.”

“Everyone should be able you have access to family doctors.”

“We have an excellent and well run doctors surgery which works perfectly well – we do not want more call centres”

“I value my relationship with a named doctor at my GP surgery. Imagine cancer diagnoses that could be missed if people’s first point of contact is through a call centre.”

“I have worked in the NHS and best care is always better if you know the patient well and have continuous care. We have not requested this change.”

“I want to keep seeing my own Doctor.”

“I want to keep and be able to see my own GP.”

“It has been proved that continuity of care with the same GP improves outcomes for patients.”

“Continuity of care from a GP is of paramount importance.”

“They are trying to deal with human beings in the same way that they would deal with something mechanical and it doesn’t work.”

“The whole system in families will be disturbed. Where is the NHS heading?”

“I want and need to see my practice GPs where the doctors know me and have cared for me and my family for years”

“I value the care offered by my family doctor.”

“It’s crucial to still be connected to a local GP surgery.”

“I want to see my doctor not a hub”

“We need our local surgery, with known family Doctors”

“I want direct access to my GP surgery and to be able to talk to them.”

“The relationship built up with GPs can mean health conditions are spotted early. This change is likely to put people off in seeking help.”

“This is absolutely crazy. The next generation won’t have the same doctor whom they can build trust with.”

“The service I get from my Surgery is really good as it is. Don t want to change.”

“The GP service is the basis for the nation’s good health. GPs maintain the nation’s wellbeing, reducing the risk of the development of chronic conditions”

“It’s very important to have contact with a Doctor you know and knows you.”

“Unwell people need qualified diagnoses from doctors, not inspired guesses from poorly paid helpers”

“Continuity of care in GP improves outcomes, reduces hospital admissions, increases patient (and doctor) satisfaction. This is a short-sighted unsafe plan.”

“Continuity of care has been shown to give better outcomes and saves lives.”

“This is shocking and doesn’t take into account the complex needs of patients who would rather see their GP.”

“I would prefer to consult with my own surgery.”

“Local GP contact is essential for providing safe health care for patients”

“Personal contact cannot be replaced – human beings need human care.”

“Your own GP/surgery is so important when you’re unwell. They know you personally (and are very familiar with your past medical history) which is so important if you have a serious complaint.”

there are too many similar comments to post them all here…