In 2007, the Labour Party laid off 8,000 doctors in the NHS, including hospital doctors. Some of those doctors became locums. Before Christmas, Pulse Today reported that there are now 1,000's of GP locums that can't find work due to the introduction of ARRS staff.
Today, Pulse Today, report that a Surrey GP practice is making three GPs redundant due "new ways of working', including virtual appointments and the use of ARRS staff. ARRS staff are lower cost to hire than GPs and ARRS staff are usually trained in a specific aspect of healthcare. e.g. paramedics, pharmacy, muscular-skeletal etc.
As a patient is this working? In some cases certainly not. In the summer of 2023, I was referred to the muscular-skeletal department at outpatients and that is run by a sub-contractor to the NHS. The doctor referred with the request asking whether an ex-ray of my shoulder was required. The so-called physiotherapist, handed me some exercise sheets, and told me he would be in contact again in a month. Didn't hear from him again after that.
In October 2023, I then had a ligament injury in my left leg, and had been diagnosed by community nurses that were sent out to me by NHS111. In November, I made an appointment to see a GP at my own surgery, about the arm and the leg and was given a referral for the so-called physiotherapist (AARS) at the GP surgery.
1. He didn't examine me.
2. We still haven't ascertained whether I require an x-ray of my arm.
3. I received no physiotherapy for my arm or leg, all he did was give me some exercise sheets.
4. NHS England is in contravention of Trading Standards because patients book a physiotherapy appointment but they don't receive any physiotherapy.
Patients that can afford to go private for proper Physiotherapy are choosing that route. I do pay privately for Chiropractic treatments, but I'd like some Physiotherapy too.
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