Deliberate encouragement of separatism at the doctor’s

To the horror of a pal of mine, the revamped self-arrival screen at his doctor’s has changed.

Once upon a time the screen sat there with a request for a patient to identify themselves by entering a date of birth.

There was also a discrete side option to switch to another language, for the tiny number of patients who have not bothered to learn how to speak or read the country’s mother tongue, English.

Now, everybody has to select a language to start.  It’s an extra step that is mainly unnecessary, considering that the majority of people using his GP surgery are English speaking. It is divisive and encourages separatism and isolation.

I mean, when the non-English speaking patient gets in to see the doctor how are they going to explain to him or her what their problems are, if they can’t speak English?  How are they going to request an appointment if they can’t speak English? But, hey, they can self-arrive ok.

Crazy or what!