‘Well placed’ is the new phrase for ‘GPs should’ — and we need to stop using it

Dr Ashlea Broomfield
Dr Ashlea Broomfield.

‘Should’ is one of the words I’d like to delete from the English language.

‘Should’ is a verb, the definition of which is “used to indicate obligation, duty or correctness; typically, when criticising someone’s actions”.

When I hear one of my patients say “I should” or “they should”, or that someone has told them “you should”, my ears prick up. Then I orient myself to this odd social pressure.

‘Should’ usually means that someone wants to do something and there is a barrier. Or that the person does not want to, and it’s someone else’s idea of what is required to happen, and they have not yet come to their own determination regarding the situation.