Healthcare Hustle: Why Your Short Doctor’s Appointment Feels Like a Transaction, Not Real Care
Once upon a time, you walked into a doctor’s surgery expecting care. You expected a professional who would listen, assess, and help you with your health concerns. You thought you were a patient – someone deserving of time, attention, and expertise.
But that was then.
Today? You’re a customer in a profit-maximising machine. And if you dare to bring up more than one issue in your tightly restricted appointment slot, you’re hit with the classic line:
“Sorry, we can’t discuss more than one or two conditions per visit. Otherwise, we can’t give you the best service.”
Best service? Absolute nonsense.
The Reality of the 10-Minute Consultation
Let’s break this down logically. You’ve been allocated 10 minutes. That’s not 10 minutes of talking – that’s 10 minutes total. Now, fair enough, if you come in with a long-winded, complex issue, that time gets eaten up. But let’s be real – many medical issues take seconds to explain. The doctor hears you out, takes a glance at your records, and either hands you a prescription, refers you, or tells you to rest and drink water. The whole thing can be done in two minutes.
So, what happens with the remaining eight minutes?
Does the doctor lean back, take a deep breath, and say, “You know what? We’ve got time. What else is bothering you?”
Nope. Instead, you get a polite-but-firm refusal. It’s suddenly a hard rule – one or two conditions only. If you have anything else, book another appointment.
Follow the Money
Now, why would they do that? Why would a doctor – who is already there, already looking at you, and already being paid – refuse to listen to something that could be dealt with in the same session?
Simple. Money.
Every separate consultation equals another billable event. Another tick in the system. Another statistic that justifies more funding, more contracts, more “efficiency bonuses.” The less time they spend on each patient, the more people they can push through. The more they push through, the better their profitability metrics look.
And you? You’re just another number on their ledger.
The “Overworked” Excuse
Of course, they’ll tell you it’s because of workload. NHS pressure. Not enough doctors. An overwhelmed system.
And while that’s partly true, let’s not pretend this is entirely about resources. If the NHS were truly running on fumes, you’d expect doctors to be squeezing in as much as possible in every appointment to clear the backlog. Instead, they’re actively turning people away and forcing them to book multiple visits for things that could be handled in one.
That’s not efficiency. That’s planned inefficiency. That’s creating artificial demand. That’s business strategy.
Real-Life Cases – When the System Fails Patients
This isn’t just theory. Patients have suffered – some even died – because of this restrictive system.
- Online Consultations Leading to Harm: An investigation by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body found that patients have suffered harm, and in some cases died, after describing their symptoms to a GP via online forms rather than in face-to-face consultations. (Source)
- Delayed Diagnosis Due to Dismissed Symptoms: Ashley Robinson, a 35-year-old chef, initially thought his stomach problems were just stress-related. Despite reassurances from health professionals, his symptoms worsened. His wife had to insist on further medical investigation before a colonoscopy finally revealed stage 4 bowel cancer that had already spread. (Source)
These aren’t isolated cases. This is a systemic problem – one that forces patients to jump through hoops while their health deteriorates.
The Data Doesn’t Lie
- In 2023, the NHS reported over 365 million GP appointments – yet 43% lasted less than 5 minutes.
- A survey by the British Medical Association found that 60% of GPs feel pressured to see too many patients per day, affecting quality of care.
- The average waiting time for a non-urgent GP appointment is now over two weeks – meaning delays in diagnosis and treatment.
- A study from The King’s Fund found that multi-condition consultations reduce long-term healthcare costs – but current GP practices discourage them for short-term efficiency.
Doctors Speak Out
Not all GPs are happy about this. Many have spoken anonymously about the pressure to keep appointments short and numbers high.
- Dr. A, a London-based GP, states: “We are trained to diagnose efficiently, but the system doesn’t let us care properly. We get penalised for spending ‘too long’ on one patient, even if it prevents multiple future visits.”
- Dr. B, from Manchester, adds: “We’ve become bureaucrats. The funding model means we get paid per patient seen, not per quality of care. It’s all about numbers now.”
Not All Doctors Are Against the System
It’s important to note that not all doctors are unwilling participants in this system. Some genuinely hate the way things are run, but others? They embrace it. They could easily use those remaining eight minutes for an informal chat, to get to know you, or – imagine this – to actually discuss another health issue. But instead, they rush to push you out the door, making it clear that your time is up.
That’s not the system forcing them – it’s their own choice. If they wanted to, they could take a more patient-friendly approach within the same constraints. But for many, the incentives align too neatly with seeing as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.
How to Beat the System
If you’re stuck in this cycle, here are some ways to maximise your appointment:
- List Your Concerns in Order of Priority – Start with the most urgent. Once that’s addressed, immediately mention the second issue before the doctor has time to shut down the appointment.
- Be Direct and Efficient – Skip pleasantries. Get to the point fast. If they see you’re concise, they’re less likely to cut you off.
- Use Key Phrases – Phrases like “I believe these symptoms might be connected” can force them to acknowledge multiple issues.
- Request a Double Appointment – Some surgeries allow this if you ask in advance.
- Challenge Them Politely – If refused, say: “Are you advising that I leave this issue untreated for now?” This puts them in an ethical dilemma.
- Complain If Necessary – Repeated refusals to address concerns? File a complaint. The more patients push back, the harder it is for surgeries to justify their policies.
What Needs to Change?
- Restructure NHS funding to reward quality, not quantity.
- Increase GP training on handling multiple concerns efficiently.
- Allow longer appointments for complex cases.
- Public awareness so patients push back against restrictive policies.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, the message is clear: your health is not the priority. The system isn’t designed to treat you in the best way possible. It’s designed to extract maximum efficiency and funding while maintaining the illusion of care.
So next time you walk into a GP’s office, don’t expect a doctor. Expect a service provider with a strict time slot, a cost-per-patient calculation running in the background, and an unwritten rule to get you out the door as quickly as possible.
And if you’ve got more than one problem? Well, that’s just too bad – unless, of course, you fancy playing the game and booking another slot.
Welcome to modern healthcare. Where you’re no longer a patient.
You’re a transaction.
