Abstract
Balancing professional and personal care responsibilities is a longstanding challenge in clinical practice. The pressure of this is acutely felt across primary care because of rising patient demand and overextended clinical hours. Given that over half of general practitioners are now women,1 the conflict between clinical availability and childcare needs is no longer a peripheral issue, but a core challenge to workforce retention. The recent suspension of the GP Helen Eisenhauser for unauthorised “ringfencing” of appointments because of childcare pressures has underscored these growing systemic tensions.2