GP opinions

I recently visited my GP about a prominent lump on my right temple and he diagnosed a cyst.

The lump first appeared when I had a stroke five years ago and, researching on the internet, I discovered that my lump looked like an external ventricular drain used to relieve intracranial pressure.

So I revisited my GP and he arranged for me to be seen by a neurologist, who confirmed that I have indeed got an external ventricular drain and not a cyst.

We assume that when we visit our GPs that their diagnoses are 100 per cent accurate, but this assumption is not evidence-based. Perhaps the NHS should apply the “secret shopper” model to assess GPs’ diagnostic accuracy and treatment plans.

Neil Sinclair

Clarence Street

Edinburgh