In Defence of the GP: Why Complaints Miss the Point

The Front Door to a Fraying System

GPs are the first point of contact for everything: sore throats, panic attacks, chronic pain, mystery rashes, grief, exhaustion, and the occasional existential spiral. They’re expected to diagnose, refer, reassure, and sometimes perform emotional triage all in ten minutes.

So, when the NHS feels stretched, GPs become the bottleneck. And when people can’t get an appointment, or feel rushed, or don’t get the referral they hoped for, the frustration lands squarely on the person in the room.

But here’s the twist: the GP isn’t the problem. They’re the pressure valve.

There’s a cultural expectation that GPs should be:

• Warm, efficient, encyclopedic, and available.
• Able to diagnose instantly, refer quickly, and never miss a thing.
• Equally skilled in dermatology, psychiatry, paediatrics, and diplomacy.

It’s a fantasy. And it sets GPs up to fail in the public eye.

Behind the scenes, GPs are dealing with:

• Rising demand: More patients, more complexity, more mental health cases.
• Shrinking time: Ten-minute slots, endless paperwork, and referral delays.
• Underfunding: Fewer staff, outdated systems, and constant restructuring.

The British Medical Association reports that over 40% of GPs are considering leaving the profession due to burnout. That’s not laziness. That’s unsustainable pressure.

When people complain about GPs, they’re often reacting to:

• Long phone queues.
• Delayed appointments.
• Feeling unheard or rushed.

These are valid frustrations. But they’re symptoms of a system under strain, not personal failings. The GP didn’t design the booking system. They didn’t cut the funding. They didn’t decide to merge your local surgery with one 12 miles away.

They’re just trying to keep the roof on while the scaffolding collapses, and let’s be honest, they do a dame fine job.

Most GPs are doing extraordinary work quietly, consistently, and under pressure.

• Catching rare conditions early.
• Supporting patients through grief, trauma, and uncertainty.
• Navigating complex cases with limited time and resources.
• Advocating for patients in a system that often forgets them.

These wins don’t make headlines. But they make lives better.

But the complaints often miss the point. They’re aimed at the person in the room, not the system around them. And that system is fraying.

If your GP listens, cares, and tries even when the tools are blunt and the time is short, that’s not luck. That’s quite excellence.

GPs aren’t the problem. They’re the last line of defence in a system that’s being asked to do more with less. Complaints may be loud, but they’re rarely about the person in the chair. They’re about the scaffolding around them. And when that scaffolding fails, the GP is left holding the bin bag.

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