Who cares?

Click on the picture to see the detail more clearly. 

Perhaps this is the reason that I am also, and maybe you too, regularly summoned to make a visit to the GP’s surgery (the only time I ever have to go). My time with the nurse is never more than three minutes and my blood pressure, suprisingly, is always “140/80 - that’s fine Mr. Talbot”. As I walk out the next person is being summoned via the intercom for the same procedure, all at around £868 per three minutes session multiplied by however many three minute sessions they can fit in each day.  Perhaps not suprisingly statistics show that the incidence of Asthma, at fifteen points and £1860 per diagnosis, is escalating at an alarming rate. 

Why should the diagnosis of a patient’s asthma be rewarded with a payment of £1860? I though that doctors diagnosed whatever a patient had as a part of their normal job - like measles or lumbago and so on. Why reward them handsomely for diagnosing a particular complaint? It smacks of manipulation of health statistics!

The Mail reports that one third of a doctor’s (reportedly highest in Europe) salary relies on this points system.

The present failed government for some odd reason calls it “Setting targets!”and not “Setting results!”