What will you retain out of all this! There have been unexpected developments in healthcare during Covid. Public health, GP, ICU, Virology, Occ Health, Pharmacy, Nursing, IT, HSE, Medical Council have burned brightly. I’m sure they’re are others. Mine as a GP follows:

1 Prescriptions are now sent electronically to the pharmacy. Just miraculous, efficient and increases safety
2 Telephone/ video consults are now the norm. Again efficient but is ballooning as the formality of making an appointment and getting the story together is reduced.

3 Antibiotic prescribing seems to be less as patients are understanding the nature of viruses and the pointlessness of antibiotics. Let’s retain this.
4 Some GPs feel under less threat of minor complaints as patients realise their dependence on the frontline worker.

4 The transmission of reliable up to date information has been stunning. I’ve sat in on weekly webinars resourced by GP colleagues who have called on experts to answer relevant questions rather than promoting their viewpoint. They’ve risen to it. Thank you all. @ICGPnews

5 The role of data has been recognised at last. We had little of it initially but we have set to and got a lot better. Over 300 GPs send in their daily Covid referrals every evening. This may become a valuable habit. @gpbuddy @slaintecare

6 GPs have been told by the Medical Council that a sick doctor is not a useful one. Covid has given permission to at least talk about the stress of the job. The next phase will be to do something about it. @ritakjdoyle

7 There’s plenty to be negative about. But we’ve had a cultural shift in healthcare. We are facing terror, uncertainty and grief together. If we can identify the positives and keep them and ‘winter this out we can summer anywhere’. @ICGPnews @HSELive @DonnellyStephen