Report comment

Quite agree with Jason Maude. As someone who has worked for the NHS for over 35 years as a clinician and manager, and in primary care, I was dismayed recently to discover that I have bladder cancer. This was mis-diagnosed by my GP practice for 12 months, despite being over 50 and with intermittent, frank haematuria; and this is in a practice where one of the partners is a GPsWI in urology!
Not much merit in improving access to primary medical care when the GP is unaware of what they are looking at, and even more worrying to expect GPs to commission appropriate services in areas where there is sub-optimal primary care.
I despaired when I read Steve Fields's article in the HSJ saying it was not always the poor old GP's fault - well maybe not, but in all 3 instances of cancer in my immediate family, the GP was too robust in their role as gate-keeper, referring on to secondary care much too late for 2 of my relatives, but hopefully, not for me. Of course, this could be a one-off, but unfortunate coincidence, but I doubt it.