These are the references I used for tonight’s Radio 4 Inside Health http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019dl1b
http://www.pagb.co.uk/publications/pdfs/Minorailmentsresearch09.pdf
http://www.selfcareforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/chhosewellsummercampaignpressrelease.pdf
http://www.pagb.co.uk/media/responses.html
http://www.selfcareforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/chhosewellsummercampaignpressrelease.pdf
This is the very biased survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=7MOnHTVGuEuNN2dkaCK%2fzQ%3d%3d
http://www.southofengland.nhs.uk/2012/07/12/51-million-unnecessary-gp-visits-nhs-investigate-why/
An important point is spoiled by exaggeration. It would appear that some senior managers believe that 100% of patients who consult GPs with coughs, diarrhoea, psoriasis etc are wasting doctors’ time with trivial complaints that could invariably be dealt with by pharmacists or through self-care. But of course some of these are not quite so minor, and patients may in fact have been advised by pharmacists or other professionals to go to their GP.
I should add that my comment does not refer to the Radio 4 programme but rather the information from the NHS, where those in charge of policy sometimes seem to veer between alarmism and dangerous complacency.
@ Carerplus – do you have anything to back this up??? You wrote “It would appear that some senior managers believe that 100% of patients who consult GPs with coughs, diarrhoea, psoriasis etc are wasting doctors’ time with trivial complaints that could invariably be dealt with by pharmacists or through self-care”