MAY I please, as a newly retired GP after 38 years before the mast, remind Dr Hill of some history – 30 years ago General Practice was thriving with lots of applicants for every vacancy. GPs then, in return for money, accepted to go through hoops set by various governments to record details of their work. 
This had nothing whatever to do with the care of patients but everything to do with controlling GPs. 
I repeat this was done with the consent of GPs in exchange for money. Then GPs opted to abandon their patients at night when dying or seriously ill, again in exchange for more money. 
What we have now is a frantic workload with no night work and very little whole patient care. 
There are umpteen clinics run by nurses so if a patient gets anything serious then off to the nurse you go. All of course for more money. 
Young, clever (they are all very clever) doctors know a load of rubbish when they see it and are voting with their feet. General Practice today is about money, money, money. 
Nurses are doing surgeries prescribing medicines just the same as the doctor in the next room.
 GPs, through their greed and failure to protect what made them important to patients, are in the sorry mess they are in today.
When I became a GP some 40 years ago I was a senior registrar in hospital medicine and was proud to join my father in the same General Practice. 
Now I would do what all young doctors are doing. Stick to hospital medicine.
DR DAVID HOGG
The Locks
Devizes