Is there a Doctor in the House?

[DominicJ]

Aparrently chain saws are an increasingly popular means of self mutilation so all you wood fuellers out there look out!

Indeed, but theres worse, I've heard of people using circular saws to chop down trees, using brake cable as strimmer wire!!!

As for self-inflicted injuries being one of the things which gets cut out when the NHS is struggling for resources....I don't think so. One-off treatments of this sort is not what eats up the NHS's resources. The real problem is dealing with the large numbers of elderly and other people with long-term chronic illnesses.

Indeed, 80% of the NHS budget is spent on people who will die within two years. Obviously that includes the guy who chops his leg off and dies of infection, but most of it will be old people, getting another 3 week hospital stay for flu.

I think it's a really difficult area, I really don't want to see any rationing, but you can make a good argument that some personal responsibility needs to be exercised too- but where do you draw the line?

As I keep saying, the current health budget is around £2000 per anum per person, just give people the money.
If your a 60 a day smoker, expect to die when you run out of money to fund your cancer treatment.
If your a paragon of virtue, expect to build up quite a nest egg to buy your kids houses with.

[happychicken]

Unlike those nervous GPs because "Stitching up wounds caused by accidents is not deemed to be part of a GP's role so any GP who undertakes such work would be laying themselves open to being sued if anything went wrong eg if they missed a tendon or nerve injury".

It would be interesting to know exactly what is and what is not "deemed" to be part of a GP's role and who does this set in stone deeming?

These days GPs spend the vast majority of their time looking after people with chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, COPD, heart disease, cancer etc etc. Acute problems like accidents and emergencies are dealt with at A&E departments. Any wounds suspected to have nerve or tendon damage are referred on by A&E to Plastics or Orthopaedics. Some GPs do still stitch up accidental wounds but to be honest if I'd got a nasty wound with possible tendon damage I'd much rather have it repaired by an orthopaedic surgeon or a plastic surgeon than a GP.
(DOI: I am a GP)