GPs were told to return to face-to-face appointments as Covid restrictions ease
DOCTORS are being told to return to face-to-face appointments by health chiefs as Covid restrictions ease.
GPs have been urged to “restore routine services” after hundreds of thousands of Britons struggled to get face-to-face consultations during the pandemic.
Devastating figures from NHS Digital show that 61 per cent of GP consultations were face-to-face in December – down two per cent on the previous month.
The statistics also highlight the current shortage compared to pre-pandemic figures, when 80 percent of patients attended surgeries to discuss their health.
While praising medics for their courageous efforts during Covid, health officials made it clear they were keen to get back to normal as soon as possible after restrictions were lifted.
The rules on masks, vaccine passports, working from home, isolation and travel have all been torn up, leaving many wondering why they can't see a doctor.
Patient groups talked about their fears that telephone appointments had become the 'new normal'. The Telegraph reports, because general practitioners were busy distributing vaccines.
They also criticized the fact that older Britons were expected to 'jump through hoops' to see a doctor.
Dr. Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS England, wrote to GPs: “It is now important that all services within the NHS, including in
primary care, are able to restore routine services where they have been interrupted
in line with the Prime Minister's request to focus all available resources on the
ommicron national mission.”
She also urged doctors to ensure that urgent cases, suspected cancer patients and those lost in the swarm of backlogs had efficient access to healthcare services.
The British Medical Association last year told doctors to refuse to let hospitals refer new patients to them, those referred through flooded 111 phone lines, and to stop running evening or weekend clinics.
Quality of care continues to be central as the pressures of the pandemic have wreaked havoc on NHS services.
Dennis Reed, from the over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, said: “Too often we see people give up because of long waits or problems getting the appointment they need, or end up in A&E with problems that only need to be addressed. are treated if they are much more advanced.”
The latest statistics show that 25 million people had in-person appointments in December, compared to 30 million in November.
But in the two-month period, eight million booster shots were administered by doctors.
And health bosses say a further two million have been delivered through walk-in appointments in the run-up to Christmas.
Professor Martin Marshall, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, warned that GPs are still facing backlogs and staff shortages, and are dealing with an aging and growing population.
He said: “Today's figures once again demonstrate the consistently high number of patient appointments that GPs and our teams are managing to deliver under the intense workload and pressures on staff, which have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“In December alone, GPs made 25 million patient appointments – more than in the same period before the pandemic – and failed to take into account the exceptional work done to deliver the Covid-19 booster campaign, to protect patients from the virus .”
He added: “The Government has made a commitment in its manifesto of a further 6,000 GPs by 2024 – plus 26,000 additional practice staff – and we urgently need to see progress so we can deliver care and services safely.
that our patients need, now and in the future.”