As a GP, I was pleased to see Wes Streeting express concerns about access, timeliness and quality of NHS care (It is not true the NHS is ‘envy of the world’, says Wes Streeting, 27 October), but concerned that he struck an adversarial tone towards providers. His comment about “waiting on the phone at 8am” suggests that we are the providers he had in mind.
In 1997, Labour oversaw much-needed reforms and investment in primary care. However, the impact of these reforms would have been even greater if policymakers had better understood how primary care works (philosophically and organisationally), its quiet contribution to patient care and how it can drive integration and efficiency. In 2022, our workforce is in crisis: fed up with being the silent glue holding together a broken system; undervalued by those we try to serve; victims of naive policy and of politicians seeking to deflect from their own failure and underinvestment.
Most would agree with Streeting that better prevention and earlier treatment are sound policy goals. However, these will only happen through partnership, shared understanding and mutual respect. In that spirit, I would urge him to spend time with us before the next election: to see the work we do, hear our ideas and concerns, understand the standard of care that we want to provide and how real change can be achieved. He would be genuinely welcome to visit my practice any time. Best to avoid 8am though, as we tend to be a bit busy then.
Dr Chris Williams
Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire
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