Patient safety at risk as pharmacists replace GPs, doctors warn

Doctors are warning that patient safety is being put at risk as podiatrists and pharmacists replace GPs “on the cheap”.

Dozens of family doctors have contacted The Telegraph claiming that talk of a GP shortage is “a big lie” and that they are being replaced by less qualified, cheaper staff, in a “crisis”.

Documents seen by The Telegraph show staff including podiatrists, pharmacists and physician associates being used in lieu of GPs to diagnose and treat patients with conditions they are not trained in.

In the most extreme cases, poorly children with viral infections, asthma-related issues and concerns about menstruation have been seen and diagnosed by a podiatrist – a healthcare professional trained exclusively to care for feet.

It is not clear what happened to any of the patients afterwards, or if their parents were aware they had seen a podiatrist rather than a doctor.

One GP said it was “a matter of patient safety” and the notion of “everything being supervised” did not work at a GP practice like it does in hospitals.

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Source: The Telegraph, 4 November 2023