Cardiff GP felt she had to work through cancer scare
"It puts the pressure on that I shouldn't be getting sick," Dr Jones said.The 37-year-old had nipped away from her practice to get an issue checked out and her doctor found a potentially cancerous lump in her abdomen."My GP said that I should be going straight to the hospital," she recalled."But I couldn't because I was the only doctor here, I couldn't shut the surgery."It was very stressful that afternoon trying to just keep going. I was in pain but there wasn't really any other option."Dr Jones has said there wasn't enough staff to cover her that day because of a funding formula for GP surgeries in Wales and England that some say is no longer fit for purpose.When more doctors were in the following day, Dr Jones was able to attend the hospital appointment when the lump was found not to be cancerous.She has also felt awful being off to attend emergency hospital appointments and to have major operations because it put a strain on her surgery in Cardiff."I hear quite a lot you don't think about doctors getting sick, but I try to remind my patients that we're all human," added Dr Jones, a GP for eight years.
Whitchurch Road Surgery in the Heath area of the city currently has about 80 appointments a day for the approximate 8,000 patients on their list and have an estimated four-week wait for routine appointments. The surgery has said some staff are doing overtime every day to see as many patients as quickly as possible."You have patient after patient coming in and the first five minutes is spent apologising for the fact they can't get an appointment," said Dr Rebecca Towner.The 44-year-old has said that she could see 30 patients in a morning, which is beyond the safe daily limit of 25 suggested by the British Medical Association (BMA). The BMA has said some GPs are seeing as many as 40 patients in a day due to an increased workload as some surgeries claim they can't afford more doctors. "Every single day you worry you're going to make a mistake," added Dr Towner."There's more risk with seeing patient after patient and less time to think. We're firefighting and it's exhausting."She has admitted the situation can be "demoralising" and doctors she knows have considered quitting multiple times. "I can't imagine doing anything else other than being a GP, but it's hard to see how we can carry on as it is at the moment," added Dr Towner.Bosses at Whitchurch Road Surgery have put a cap on extra work "when possible" and claim a lack of funding because of the way the NHS pays GP surgeries means they have been unable to pay the same wages as other practices.They say that means they're unable to hire new staff which has added to their workload and subsequently increased appointment wait time for patients.
The surgery's own practice manager said he continued to work during his treatment for stage three oesophageal cancer in an attempt to lessen the impact on patients."I think things will get worse before they get better," said Gareth Lucocq, 47."We have lots of doctors qualifying in autumn and unfortunately there are no jobs for them because practices can't afford their wages."
GPs in Wales and England are mainly paid using a formula introduced in 2004, based on factors like how old and ill their patients are likely to be. Campaigners have said data the Carr-Hill Formula uses is more than 25 years old and GP practices in towns and cities tend to lose out.Doctors complain the formula is not based on current data so when the NHS allocates cash, it doesn't take into account whether the GP surgery serves a particularly sick or deprived population.BBC Wales research shows that if Whitchurch Road Surgery was paid per patient, rather than using the Carr-Hill formula, it would receive an extra quarter of a million pounds a year.Based on this measurement, the biggest shortfall faced by any GP surgery in Wales would be just under £445,000."There is systematically worse access to general practice in poorer parts of the country," said Dr Becks Fisher of the Nuffield Trust, who did a study on GP funding formula in England."People who live in poorer parts of the country consistently have lower satisfaction with GP services and report more difficulty in accessing them."GP practices in the Cardiff and Vale health board are the worst affected by the formula in Wales and almost half of Welsh surgeries claim they're allocated less cash than they say they need."If you're hundreds of thousands of pounds worse off, it doesn't matter how hard you work," said Dr Matthew Jones, who works at another surgery in Heath.
"The formula just doesn't work. It doesn't accurately represent what your GP workload is and the figures and data they're using are from 1998 to 2001."The General Practitioners Committee, the body that represents UK GPs, believes there is a need to review the formula in Wales."General practice is facing a crisis in Wales," said Dr Gareth Oelmann, the BMA's Welsh committee chair.The Royal College of General Practitioners has welcomed the "long overdue" UK government review into how funds are dished out to GP surgeries."A patient's postcode and where they live should not determine the level of NHS care they receive," it said in a statement."It can't be right that people in deprived communities – who often have more complex health needs and would likely benefit from health interventions most - are less likely to receive it, because their GPs' time is spread even more thinly."In Wales, the Senedd's Health and Social Care Committee is holding an inquiry into the future of GPs including its funding model and current financial pressures."Various elements of the GP contract, including funding formulas, will be considered as part of annual contract negotiations between Welsh government, NHS Wales and the General Practitioner's Committee," the Welsh government said in a statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wales debit card to pay for gluten free food in shops
People in Wales who cannot eat gluten will be given debit-style cards preloaded with money to help pay for their UK-first move, which begins later this year, will be an alternative to the current system where those with conditions such as coeliac disease - which affects about one in 100 people - get food on prescription from the Cherylee Barker, 54, from Narberth, Pembrokeshire, took part in a pilot scheme and got £14 a month, which she said "scratches the surface of the cost".A Coeliac UK report said a gluten free diet added 35% to food bills and Health Minister Jeremy Miles said the Welsh government wanted to "de-medicalise the supply of gluten-free foods". The new card will work like a chip and Pin bank card and be taken in most places that sell gluten-free food, including supermarkets, shops, community pharmacies and online stores, according to the Welsh would not say how much people will be given - just that it will vary by person and be regularly reviewed - or how much would be spent on the anticipate it will be "cost neutral" and not add any more to the NHS prescription model will still be available in Wales, which is similar to schemes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Those with coeliac disease cannot eat gluten as their immune system attacks their own tissues and their body cannot properly take in nutrients. It results in symptoms including bloating, vomiting and diarrhoea. There is also an added cost . with gluten-free food more expensive Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, the four leading supermarkets. The average price of a own brand loaf of bread was 63p, compared with £2.26 for a gluten-free penne pasta averaged 56p per 500g whereas the lowest gluten-free option averaged £1.22. Ms Barker has been part of the pilot scheme in the Hywel Dda health board area for the past five gets £42 every three months, which equates to £14 a month, and described the previous prescription system as "slightly embarrassing" and the food "not that edible".She said: "I didn't want to take the money from the NHS. I thought 'just suck it up and see' but after a little while I just found it was just becoming more and more expensive."It isn't a lifestyle choice, it is a need."Despite saying the card was "fantastic" she said the amount she got was only "scratching the surface" of rising costs for everybody, especially coeliacs. Bethan Williams, 24, from Cardiff, said prescriptions did not work for her as the food was low a vegetarian, she said the cash cards could give people with additional dietary needs the freedom to make healthy choices."I am in a good position that I can afford the higher quality bread but that is not the case for all people," she said."Eating food and being able to eat a balanced diet isn't a privilege, it's something everyone should be entitled to." For businesses such as Plumvanilla Cafe and deli in Narberth, which accepts the cash card, making sure they can serve the community's needs is becoming more Beere, who works at the cafe, said: "We've noticed more and more people shopping with gluten-free requirements so we like to keep a big stock."But she added it was a challenge balancing stocking the shelves with the high cost items and making sure nothing goes to waste. Miles said the move would cut "administrative burdens on GPs and pharmacies".He added: "For people living with coeliac disease, following a strict gluten-free diet is not a lifestyle choice but a medical necessity."We want to de-medicalise the supply of gluten-free foods in Wales, giving people more freedom to access the food they want to eat, more conveniently, to help them to manage their condition." Tristen Humphreys from Coeliac UK said: "We need to recognise that a gluten-free diet is the treatment for coeliac disease, it's a serious autoimmune disease not a lifestyle choice – we want that recognised."He added supporting people's diets would help prevent health complications down the line and was "cost efficient" for the NHS and called on other UK nations to follow suit. Additional reporting by Sara Dafydd
South Wales Argus
3 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Calls for investigation into Pontypool Medical Practice
Nick Thomas-Symonds MP and Lynne Neagle MS have written to the Auditor-General for Wales to ask that an investigation into the management of Pontypool Medical Practice. A statement from the practice hit back, saying that "a campaign of political witch hunt and interference" had taken place with "little regard for the real-world impact on patients or the workforce". Pontypool Medical Centre, which uses the services of a GP management company named eHarley Street, has multiple one-star reviews on Google. The practise has been the topic of controversy in the local community for some time. Back in February a total of five of the nine Welsh practices which used eHarley Street's services were handed back to the local health board. Now there are calls for an investigation to be conducted by the Auditor-General for Wales. Pontypool Medical Centre a practise that has been criticised by patients (Image: Google Maps)Torfaen MP and MS Nick Thomas-Symonds and Lynne Neagle said in a joint statement: 'Many constituents have contacted us, as local MP and local MS, with concerns about Pontypool Medical Practice. "In recent months, we have held 10 meetings with the senior leadership at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. 'In the circumstances, we have – jointly – written to the Auditor-General for Wales to ask that an investigation now take place into the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board's engagement of eHarley Street and subsequent management of the contracts, focussing on Pontypool Medical Practice. 'This is not a step we have taken lightly, and we will, in the interests of our constituents, also continue our dialogue with the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.' A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University said: 'The Health Board is closely monitoring the GP partnership as part of its escalation framework where the practice remains in enhanced monitoring to ensure it meets the requirements of the contract to deliver good quality and accessible primary care services. 'Governance and assurance visits have not identified any immediate patient safety concerns and there has been recent progress with recruitment to advanced nurse practitioner posts and GPs for the practice. 'The health board is in regular dialogue with the partnership [which runs the practice] in terms of seeking assurance in terms of future sustainability and plans for further improvements to recruitment and access.' Sarah Mayers from Trevethin has terminal synovial sarcoma cancer she has issued a complaint against the Medical Centre (Sarah undergoing chemotherapy) (Image: Sarah Mayers) Sarah Mayers, 52, from Trevethin has terminal synovial sarcoma cancer and was recently given just one year to live. She is in the process of putting in a complaint against Pontypool Medical Centre and says the medical centre should have spotted her symptoms earlier. Synovial sarcoma is an aggressive cancer that typically develops in the soft tissues near joints and tendons, particularly in the arms and legs. Speaking about her experience, Sarah said: 'It wasn't a very good experience. I'm not saying I could have been cured but it could have been picked up sooner. 'I think it's disgusting. If you think there's something wrong, if you need to push for the doctors to do something.' Sarah Mayers from Trevethin has terminal synovial sarcoma cancer she has issued a complaint against the Medical Centre (Sarah next to her van raising awareness for sarcoma) (Image: Sarah Mayers) Sarah first visited the doctors back in March 2024 after experiencing numbness in her shoulder. She was told she would need an X-ray and was referred to a physiotherapist. But in May she fell over the family dog and believed she had broken a rib. This resulted in breathing difficulties and another visit to the doctors in June. It was only after this, in October, that her illness was diagnosed. Since then, Sarah has undergone extensive chemotherapy treatments, but her prognosis remains the same. Sarah add: 'Trying to get an appointment at the surgery you just can't. You phone up and you're on the line for thirty minutes you just can't get a hold of a doctor anymore.' Pontypool Medical Practice declined to comment on Sarah's case when previously contacted by the Argus. A statement issued by lawyers acting for the partnership that runs Pontypool Medical Centre said: 'We are instructed to express our clients' profound concern over the ongoing conduct of Lynne Neagle MS and Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, whose latest coordinated public statement represents the latest chapter in what our clients consider to be a prolonged, politically driven campaign that has spanned nearly a year. 'Despite multiple independent assurance visits by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board confirming that no patient safety issues exist, the practice has been subject to repeated and escalating public criticism by the MS and MP. This is despite the fact that neither has accepted repeated offers to meet directly with the Partnership leadership to understand the operational and clinical context first-hand. 'Our clients have advised that the resulting environment has been toxic: frontline staff have been harassed online, morale has been severely affected, and the reputation of the practice has been severely damaged - not by any clinical failure, but by a campaign of political witch hunt and interference that has shown little regard for the real-world impact on patients or the workforce. 'Our clients have confirmed that they operate a modern and lawful provider model, which has become increasingly necessary given the collapse in traditional GP partnerships across the UK. That this model has been singled out so aggressively - despite being used successfully in many parts of Wales and England - raises serious concerns. Our clients cannot ignore the growing perception that they are being targeted, in part, because they are an English-led provider seeking to bring innovation and resilience to Welsh general practice. 'For the avoidance of doubt, our clients make no direct accusations. But the pattern, tone, and timing of these political statements cannot be overlooked - especially in a pre-election year. 'It is for the public to ask whether this high-profile pressure campaign is truly about patient welfare, or whether it conveniently aligns with broader political motives. 'Our clients are committed NHS professionals. They are proud to serve the Pontypool community, and they will not be deterred by politically charged narratives that seek to undo progress for the sake of electioneering or point-scoring. 'Should this conduct continue, our clients reserve the right to take further legal steps to protect their workforce, their reputation, and the integrity of the services they provide.' Nick Thomas-Symonds MP and Lynne Neagle MS wrote back: 'We make no apology whatsoever, as democratically-elected representatives, for doing our jobs in standing up for our constituents who have - repeatedly - come to us raising issues of concern. 'Ten meetings with the senior leadership of the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board did not resolve the matter. 'As we said in our public statement, this is in no sense a criticism of the staff at Pontypool Medical Centre who we know are working with great dedication. 'We await hearing from the Auditor-General for Wales in due course.'
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Why you should think twice about hugging lambs this summer
Health officials have issued a warning against kissing, cuddling, or holding lambs due to an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidiosis is a severe parasitic infection that causes serious gastrointestinal illness, with symptoms including watery diarrhoea and stomach pains. Public Health Wales has advised farmers to prevent close contact between visitors and lambs this summer to curb the spread; people should also wash their hands after contact with animals. The alert follows an investigation into 74 cases of cryptosporidium linked to a petting farm in Vale of Glamorgan earlier this year, which led to 16 hospitalisations, including a four-year-old boy. There were also 17 outbreaks of the infection connected to farms across England and Wales in the previous year.
