Doctors’ fees

Press, 12 June 1986, Page 20

Doctors’ fees

Sir,—M. Campbell (June 10) is quite correct in her assertion that a well-trained receptionist could carry out primary medical care in a G.P.’s practice. It only took me 3y 2 years to train and qualify as a registered general nurse, followed by 20 years postgraduate experience. When she qualifies also, the practice nurses will welcome M. Campbell into their ranks and to their richly deserved subsidy. — Yours, etc., S. M. GASTRELL, Practice nurse. June 10, 1986. Sir, —As a member of the same College of General Practitioners as Dr R. E. Aitken, I must take issue with his comments (June 7) about doctors’ fees. I am not taking any side in the practice nurse controversy, but with Dr Aitken’s cynical remarks that — with a reduced practice nurse subsidy — the amount will have to be recovered by increasing the fee to patients. This presupposes that a doctor should have a certain income as of right and, if one source diminishes, it will have to be made up by an increase in fees. This argument is quite fallacious and poorly thought out and far removed from the behaviour expected from a caring profession. — Yours, etc., K. J. O’CONNOR. June 10, 1986. Sir, —Misinformation appears to have taken over in this issue (M. Campbell, June 10; A. S. Helm, June 9). The public may not be aware that there is a 50 per cent subsidy and a 100 per cent subsidy for practice nurses. If a doctor is paying 50 per cent of the nurse’s salary he is free to use her as a receptionist for part of her working day if she is willing to comply. As for M. Campbell’s expansion of her receptionist role into the taking of blood pressures and blood tests, etc., why did she stop at that? There are many minor medical tasks she could also have performed: suturing, lancing boils, of ingrown

and so on. I hope that her “nursing” duties also include attending on-going education (often in her leisure time), giving contraceptive and dietary advice, visiting the chronically ill in their homes, dressing wounds, sores and ulcers, child checks for growth and development, etc. — Yours, etc., GLORIA NEALE. June 10, 1986. Sir, —I answer a comment on doctors’ fees by A. S. Helm (June 8). The advertisement this person was referring to was, in fact, for the position of practice nurse-typist for a specialist’s practice. Specialists do not get the Government Subsidy so no part of this job was to have been subsidised. The argument forwarded using this example was incorrect. — Yours, etc., B. I. EDWARDS. June 9, 1986.