General practice has changed since my father’s day. It’s much harder now

He could devote all his time to the care of his patients, and he was appreciated. As the former head of the RCGP, I know that GPs keep the NHS safe and accessible, but we are an endangered species

As I enter the last decade of my career as a general practitioner, one that began as a six-year-old watching my father – himself a single-handed GP – work, I have begun to reflect on how the profession has changed. My father was a traditional family doctor based in eastern Peterborough. I would watch over the banisters of our home as my father’s patients sat in our sitting room. The surgery moved from the front room to the back of the house, then to a two-up-two down converted house down the road, and finally to a purpose-built health centre.

Everyone knew Dr Anthony Gerada. He would do school medicals, the family planning clinic at the town hall, 10 surgeries a week and night calls, week in week out. He used to take me on home visits – unimaginable now – and taught me about the causes of health inequality. He showed me that, to be a good GP, you had to be kind, to listen and to be part of your community, something I have tried to emulate in my career.

GPs see about 1.2 million people a day. We manage 80% of all health problems for only 8% of the NHS budget

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