Dr Oliver Large
December 26, 2025
As 2026 approaches, many people are thinking about their health, while also feeling weary about how care is now accessed. Online GP forms, fragmented continuity, and uncertainty about what happens next no longer feel temporary - they feel normal.
Over time, repeatedly filling in forms, waiting for brief replies, and not quite feeling heard can become so draining that people lower their expectations and simply accept the situation, even when it leaves them feeling unsupported.
This article explores six frustrations patients commonly experience, and why private GP care feels different.
1. Not Knowing Who Is Actually Responsible
For many patients, the deepest frustration is uncertainty. After a test is arranged or advice is given, there is often a lingering sense of not knowing who is actually holding the situation in mind. People find themselves wondering whether anyone has seen their results yet, whether anyone knows they are still waiting, and whether someone will notice if things do not improve.
When care is fragmented, responsibility can feel vague.
With private GP membership, responsibility is clear. Your own GP knows which tests are outstanding, is aware when results are due, and continues to hold the situation in mind until there is clarity. That sense of ownership does not end when the test is ordered.
2. Seeing a Different Person Each Time
Another major frustration is lack of continuity. Many patients now expect that each time they make contact, they will speak to a different clinician. That person may be kind and competent, but they are often reading the notes as the conversation unfolds, reconstructing the story rather than already knowing it. Important context has to be re-explained, and decisions are made without the benefit of a longer relationship.
This can feel impersonal and tiring. Patients often sense that they are known only by what is written down, rather than by an ongoing understanding of who they are and what matters to them.
With private GP membership, you almost always see the same GP. On the rare occasions you see someone else, for example if your GP is on holiday, they will usually be aware of who you are seeing and more often than not will have personally briefed them. No more repeating yourself 'like a broken record' - a key difference.
3. When Online Forms Replace Conversation
Online forms are not the problem in themselves. They can work well for simple, transactional issues. The frustration comes when they replace conversation altogether.
Many patients describe carefully filling in a form, unsure whether they have explained things properly, only to receive a brief or automated message in return. An action plan is issued, but there is no opportunity to clarify, add nuance, or ask a follow-up question. The lingering feeling is often that the response does not quite fit what they were trying to explain.
Private GP care always involves a conversation. You speak directly to a doctor, your concern is explored in real time, so that decisions are shaped together with your GP again.
4. Feeling Managed by a System Rather Than Supported
NHS GPs work within a national system designed to deliver care at scale. That system brings real and unavoidable constraints, even when clinicians want to do more. Prescribing guidance prioritises lowest-cost options, referral criteria determine what can and cannot be offered, and incentive schemes influence how care is delivered. Advice is often shaped by population-level cost effectiveness rather than individual preference.
This is not a criticism of NHS doctors. It is simply the reality of the system they work within.
A private GP works differently. They work for you. Advice is guided by clinical judgement and your individual circumstances, rather than by system targets or financial incentives. The conversation becomes about what makes sense for you, not just what fits the system.
5. Waiting for Results Without Reassurance
Many patients say the hardest part of modern care is not the result itself, but the waiting. Results may arrive late in the week by text message, with no explanation. Anxiety carries over weekends or holidays, and people are left unsure whether anyone has actually reviewed what has come back.
In private GP care, results are actively waited for. Reviewing blood tests and replying in the evening or over the weekend is not uncommon. This is not because of a promise of round-the-clock access, but because for a private GP, continuity and personal responsibility naturally extend beyond office hours.
6. Gradually Accepting That This Is “Just How It Is”
Over time, many people stop looking for alternatives. Not because they are satisfied, but because navigating anything else feels unclear or daunting. A quiet resignation sets in, and expectations lower.
Wanting something more personal does not mean rejecting the NHS. It means recognising what you need.
Private GP care offers a clear alternative. It is built around listening, continuity, and personal responsibility, while still working alongside NHS services when needed.
Primary Care: Now the Part of Healthcare Worth Investing In
The NHS remains an extraordinary asset. It provides world-class care for emergencies, serious illness, and complex, high-cost treatments, and its value cannot be overstated. For most people, it is the NHS that will be there when something major or unexpected happens.
What has changed is day-to-day primary care. By 2026, online-first access, fragmented continuity, and system-driven constraints are no longer temporary measures - they are the default. As a result, much of the burden has shifted onto patients themselves: navigating forms, waiting for results, repeating their story, and deciding when to worry.
This is where private GP membership fits. It does not replace the NHS. It complements it by investing in the part of healthcare people interact with most often: advice, reassurance, continuity, and follow-through. It reduces the mental load of managing everyday health concerns and restores the reassurance that someone knows you and is paying attention.
For many people, paying for primary care is not about luxury or speed. It is about choosing clarity, continuity, and personal responsibility, while continuing to rely on the NHS for the serious and high-impact care it does so well.
If you would like to explore whether private GP membership at 222 Healthcare is right for you or your family, please get in touch.