Coronavirus - bring back retired GPs to deal with crisis ...

My grandfather was an army officer who retired in 1937. When WW2 started he went straight back into service. His expertise on the transport and storage of ammunition was essential to the war effort. He was finally discharged in 1952 when he was 70.

Like the Oxford undergraduates who sometime in the 1930s voted that they would not fight for King and cuntry. I suspect that if there was an uncontrolled pandemic, many people would volunteer, who now say, they wouldn't

A retired GP friend assures me they would have to make it well worth his while financially or he is not coming out of retirement, and of course that would include paying the ludicrous MDU insurance premiums.

But if you pay the retired ones more than the regular ones you can imagine what will happen......

If such a policy was adopted, ie bringing back retired medical staff to cope with an emergency, I imagine that very special conditions would apply.

I wonder if the Government is planning to meet the costs of retired doctors who return to practice because of coronavirus - courses to meet the Continuing Professional Development requirements, cost of registration with the GMC, and the requirement to have professional indemnity.
Probably not

Because it’s in the national interest, of course!

I wonder whether this additional (substantial) income would adversely affect their tax rate - anyone know? It probably wouldn’t be worth their while financially, even if it is for Queen and country.

Don’t make me laugh it’s hard enough to see a GP at all .

The GP’s that have retired (some very young) with their final salary pensions wouldn’t want to be involved. Why on earth would they?

Exactly.

I wonder if Boris plans to bring pensioners out of retirement to deal with all national emergencies? If so, post Brexit there’s going to be a lot of very unhappy GNetters

Indeed- the GPs I've was talking to about the idea, were British retired GPs, not French or any other country.

Yes, and all of them are no longer registered, so could not work legally- as well as having heatlh conditions that would put them in the 'at most risk' category.

I’ve worked for the NHS for many, many years - and unless the NHS makes it hugely worth their while my retired colleagues have no intention of coming back. Many of them have been retired for a number of years so would require upskilling and training, which all takes time.

That’s if their registration is still valid, of course...

At least here in the UK.....can’t speak for France or any other country.

Oh I think a lot of retired GP’s would want to help out in a national emergency jura nurses too.

but yes, of course, what do you GN retired GPs think?

Tangering, fruit and veg comment was tongue and cheek. Good on you for volunteering - that is totally different from being volunteered- especially by a group of people who are seen as responsible for the demise of the NHS.

Anno- I was with several of them today- all agreed it was a ludicrous idea and that, having survived the work hours and stress in the past (oh yes, ye olde days when 140 hours was 'normal) - and almost lost their lives a couple of times due to above- going back in their 70s was just not going to happen.

Hetty58 of course they want to keep people with symptoms away from the surgery, as they could infect other patients?

We have more than one retired GP here so we could always ask their opinion.

There are a lot of retired hospital staff (or those who've found nicer jobs) who might step in if required. I don't see that more GPs will be needed, though. They'll do their very best to keep people with symptoms well away!

Hi Jura2 I am already a volunteer with an organisation and, unless they close because of Coronavirus, I shall continue. I admit I'd be more worried if I had underlying health conditions.

are you going to volunteer to pick fruit and veg, perhaps?

Some retired GP's may not be all that old.

I think some will be willing to volunteer.