title: A small earthquake?
abstract: In recent years, concerns about health and healthcare have been expressed by the public, the profession, patients and politicians. These are neither new nor confined to the UK. Doctors were not always held in high public esteem; that had been earned over the last 150 years through scientific discoveries such as anaesthesia which revolutionised patient care. The turbulence of the last few years has a number of causes, including increasing patient expectations. Perhaps inevitably it has again called into question the relationship between government, the public and the profession. The resulting debate has been more widespread and better informed than previous episodes of dissent, perhaps indicating a greater willingness on the part of all three parties to assess their relationship anew. Any such assessment would no doubt have to accept the current workforce difficulties experienced by many doctors and other healthcare professionals practising in unsatisfactory circumstances.
authors.affiliation: The Guy's, King's College and St Thomas' Hospitals' Medical and Dental School, London.
authors.forename: Graeme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Catto
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010819:Physician's Role; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006113:United Kingdom