I was lucky to have a great GP. Then she went on maternity leave and my healthcare fell apart

‘My Covid safety plan disintegrated, and I couldn’t get access to telehealth or my regular medication. All those carefully made plans, gone in a moment.’ Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

I didn’t realise how fragile my healthcare system was until my GP went on maternity leave and it all fell apart.

There have rightly been a myriad articles about the crisis in general practice, detailing the excessive workload, the shift from bulk billing and the drop in doctor numbers. But there have not been many on how it’s affecting disabled and sick people who rely on GPs more than most.