DOCTORS & PATIENTS (GPTV)
The waiting room...
Welcome to the waiting room. These innovative programs were first made in the 1970s when videos had only started becoming available to institutions. They help us to give you an immersive experience with valuable insights into the current challenges and complexities that patients encounter when seeking or attending medical appointments in today’s society. Our program explores the interactions between patients and doctors, shedding light on the obstacles patients often face when scheduling appointments, such as limited availability or difficulty securing a spot. It also highlights the substantial demands and pressures doctors face in delivering services, which can sometimes exceed what is necessary. The programs allow viewers to observe and delve into the dynamics between patients and doctors, emphasising how miscommunication can create problems in doctor-patient relationships.
Things haven't changed much since then.
In the late 1960s, 40% of medical consultations were conducted through house calls or home visits by doctors. However, due to the rapid growth of technology, this number had decreased to only 1% by the 1980s. As a result, doctors could see more patients in their offices, and the overall population had also increased. However, in the NHS, by 1984, most doctors would have worked from practices in their own homes and were mainly made up of men.
In 1990, Health Secretary Ken Clarke implemented a new contract to make the terms of healthcare services more specific and create a system that rewarded proactive health maintenance. This contract brought about significant changes, as it mandated that GPs conduct health checks on all new patients, individuals over 75, and patients who had not visited a GP in the past three years.
Cardinal Broadcast Productions proudly presents the clips and programs you are about to watch. The Audio Visual Centre at the University of London carefully recorded them in 1976. The footage is black-and-white, capturing the essence and atmosphere of that time.
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