I'm sure it gets boring to hear me moan about the life of a GP and I'm not really. Just moaning again about the media reports about how lazy and inefficient and overpaid we are. It is so not true. I think we are decently paid - we all earn different amounts anyway so I' m not speaking for everyone but I think I am decently paid. Certainly not over-paid but probably not under-paid either at the moment. Give it a few years where we've had no increase, not even inflation-related, and I'm sure it'll change.

But last night the diatribe from some government minister was that we are "too 9-5" and all shut on Wednesday afternoons and weekends and need to work more hours. Well, my actual appointment times do start at 9 but that's because I find it hard to guarantee being here any earlier. I am pretty much always here by 8.25 but I can't guarantee it. Surely it's best not to keep people waiting if I can avoid it. My last official appointment time is 5.30 because, outrageous as it clearly is, I like to get home to see my children before they get to bed. If my last appointment is 5.30 then by the time I clear any emergencies and paperwork I get to leave at 6.45. I work solidly through from 8.30 till 6.45. I eat my lunch at my desk (the lunch I make at home because, despite my outrageous salary, I actually can't afford to buy lunch daily). I fill in enough paperword to destroy half a rainforest daily. My surgery is open from 8-7 all day every day and we never refuse to see anyone. I don't want to work weekends. I will of course if we are paid enough or, as is more likely, they threaten to take away enough of my salary. But I already work weekends for the emergency GP service and I think that is a) a brilliant service and b) enough. People shouldn't come to the GP on a Saturday morning for routine stuff, they should take time off work. Emergencies are catered for superbly by the system that exists (in this area at least) - I've never kept anyone waiting more than 20 minutes.

And also think about expenses for a minute. It never gets mentioned that out of my exorbitant salary I am required to pay:

1) just over £5500 a year on my insurance scheme that will protect me if I'm sued  - not an optional extra, that's a requirement

2) about £2000 in other requirements such as GMC registration

3) £7000 a year in mortgage repayments on the building I co-own with my partners. And whilst I sincerely hope that that will prove to be a fantastic investment and leave me with a nice nest-egg when I retire there are no guarantees and, again, it was a requirement. No optional extra.

4) all my maternity leave expenses including employing my locum who earned as much as me. Twice.

5) If we need locums to cover us when one of us is on holiday then we have to pay for them. The government or the PCT doesn't pay. We do. We could not get a locum of course but then the patients suffer so we do. Locums are not cheap.

6) We are required to take out locum insurance. If I get sick the rest of my partners cover locum expenses for 4 weeks. Then it's up to me. Again - locums are very expensive. The insurance actually doesn't cover the cost because frankly it wouldn't be worth working at all. My insurance will pay about 50% of the costs and I pay about another £2500 a year for the privilage. I really must not get long-term sick.

7) We have requirements put upon us. For example we are no longer allowed to sterilise equipment. Everything is disposable now. We still have to do smears though - we just end up paying more for the speculums now we have one for every single woman we see. Or minor surgery. The minor surgery packs cost about £4 each. Not lots of money - but we are doing plenty of minor surgery because no-one else will do it (we're not allowed to refer benign lesions to the hospital any more) and we're being nice to our patients. But it costs us.

8) Let's not even mention tax.

All this - and there's plenty more, trust me - comes out of those figures you hear bandied around in the press. It's not the whole story.  I am working harder than I've ever worked in my life. My partners agree. We are more stressed, more hardworked, more demoralised than ever.

I do this job for the money in large part. Like I say, it's a decent income. If the income drops or the stresses increase then I am happy to look for something else to do. I suspect there will be a lot of us feeling the same way.