Dr Crippen and Ben Bradshaw, GP Access and Polyclinics

Last week Under-Secretary-of-State for Health, Ben Bradshaw launched another attack on our General Practitioners (family doctors).

Dr Crippen responded. Dr Crippen admired that Ben was the first openly gay Member of Parliament (for Exeter - what it is with gay MPs in the south-west .... can you remember Jeremy Thorpe in North Devon?). Most of John's arguments were sound.

However, Dr Crippen claimed that I can turn up at any GP practice and register as a patient.

In June 2004 I turned up at my local GP clinic, on my brother's recommendation as that is where he, his partner and stepson are registered, to register myself, my wife and my daughter .... only to be told their list is "full".

We were told to try next door. Once one practice, the partners had fallen out and the building and the practice, were divided in two. Two GP practices in one building?.

Ridiculous!

So I went next door and we were registered.

Nanda, my wife, says she has 'flu. I say go and see our GP. She says Jaime (my stepson) has 'flu - "Go and see the GP" - but she doesn't speak much English. Say two words to reception "Language Line"" but I think she would rather walk into a Virgin Asda-based polyclinic.