Unfortunately, I suspect that the independent self-employed GP is the oozlum bird of the medical profession — that mythical creature that flies in ever-decreasing circles until it eventually disappears up its own bum.

I’ve come to this conclusion after pondering three important questions:

The answer to the first question is an obvious yes.

GPs are the backbone of our health system, providing 80% of all patient contact but only accounting for 6% of the health budget.