Dr. Brendan O'Shea:

There are not enough GPs. We are having difficulty getting them into our practices. Partly it is a financial issue and partly they do not want to have a thousand conversations with patients about not being able to do their blood tests. They are not going to explain to poor patients why they have to wait for six or 12 months for an MRI. That is what our younger colleagues are saying and the rest of us are pinned into the ground.

Another important point related to referrals and why some doctors refer more and some refer less. There is a huge evidence base around that.