Shattering the myths of private practice.

Abstract

I have a confession to make. I've gone over to the dark side. I'm now combining National Health Service (NHS) general practice with some private general practitioner work – and I've made some surprising discoveries. I can see 16 patients in the morning and another 16 in the afternoon and get home by 6.15 pm. I haven't achieved that in the NHS for at least 10 years. I work alongside really good doctors and the patients are unfailingly polite and grateful – unlike my experience of many patients I have looked after in the NHS. The private patients have access to the clinic in which I work because they get it as a perk of their employment contract – so they're not rich and they come …