The answer is burnout. Junior GPs are given about 30 minutes per patient so if you want a more positive experience you’re better off seeing them.

Your fully qualified NHS GP is given only 10 minutes and is responsible for many of the staff in the practice so thinking of many things at once. In addition to the telephone/ phone appointments with patients they also have to make time to do home visits to housebound patients. Plus all the paperwork required for patients such as phone calls, emails letters for scan requests/referrals/sick notes+.

It’s also interesting how a certain interaction can ruin your mood for the rest of your day. It’s emotionally taxing. A conversion with a severely depressed patient literally leaves you drained. Or speaking to another patient about their recent trauma/grief. So many things out of your control and impossible to shake off quickly.

I used to work retail and I definitely was not always super smiley if I had a hard/ busy day. Unfortunately most days are quite rubbish for many GPs and other healthcare staff right now. Healthcare staff have very high levels of mental health illness in comparison to the rest of the population and I’m sure it’s partly due to everyone expecting them to work in crap conditions with a smile on their face. It’s not fair. And if anyone reading believes they should just leave the profession, don’t worry, many people are.

Also patients are not clients. Everyone should be treated well but I think it’s important to make that distinction.