One in three practices forced to stop routine appointments

As reported by inews, staff shortages and high patient demand have caused the primary care workforce to slump by more than 350 GPs over the past year

A survey by Pulse magazine has found that more than one-third of GP practices in the UK have stopped taking bookings for routine appointments.

This has been caused by unprecedented patient demand, staff shortages and COVID absences.

The news comes as March 2022 saw GPs in England deliver the highest number of patient consultations since records began, according to NHS Digital data.

General practice in England delivered 4m more appointments in March than the previous month, while the workforce has declined by over 350 GPs in the past year.

The full-time equivalent (FTE), fully qualified GP workforce fell to 27,769 last month – down 369 from the same month in 2021.

Dr Gaurav Gupta, a GP in Kent, said: “It is not surprising that practices have at times been unable to provide the services they want to provide for their patients. 

“GP numbers have been constantly falling and have decreased by thousands in the last few years. This is unsustainable and puts GPs and practice staff under enormous pressure and risk of burnout, as well as having a potential negative impact on patient care.

“We need the Government to deliver on its commitment of getting an additional 6,000 GPs in England by 2024 and reduce the unnecessary bureaucratic burden on practices.”

Norfolk and Waveney GP partner, Dr Nick Morton commented “We operate a safety valve system which is explained to patients so when we are overwhelmed, we stop pretending we have enough resources.

“Patients are directed to the walk-in centre, local pharmacies or if they perceive it to be an emergency, the A&E department, although the reception team have a list of presentations for which this does not apply which includes the vulnerable and end of life patients.”