A rose by any other name

Abstract

I first met one of my oldest friends when we'd both reached that waddling stage of pregnancy. It was 1990. I had recently qualified as a GP and she was a partner in a local practice. Our first kids were born 6 days' apart. As our families expanded, between us, we used just about every job scheme going: locum, locum with a view, partner at all sorts of % shares, salaried GP, retainer, and academic GP with an honorary clinical contract. For years we spent Wednesday afternoons whinging happily about our various practices while the kids leapt across the furniture and scribbled on newly painted walls. We moaned about being on call on Mondays or not being on call on Mondays (depending on how the practice organised the Bank Holiday rota); partners who made a habit of putting chronic …