Patients unable to see their GPS face to face can find that their illness has been misdiagnosed

SIR – Two weeks ago, I rang my local surgery at 8.30am, as a large swelling had appeared on the inside of my knee. The surgery gave the date as January 2021 in a recorded message and said it had closed and was operating from another surgery in a neighbouring village, with reduced appointments. I finally got through there at 4pm and was told there were no more appointments for that day and I should try again the next day at 8.30am.

I told her I was not prepared to sit on the phone all day again. She said there was a link on the website to request “e-consult”. There wasn’t, but I found it myself via a search engine. It took some time to complete the online form with all my personal and medical information and it suggested I include a photo of the problem, which I did.

I was called two days later by a physiotherapist who obviously had not seen the photo or details. I described the problem and he diagnosed bursitis of the patella and told me to elevate the leg and apply ice packs.

After a week, nothing had changed and, fortunately, I was able to speak to a retired orthopaedic surgeon who lives locally. He came to my home and diagnosed a cyst, which may need surgery. How I will see a GP in person to get referred to a practising surgeon is anybody’s guess.

Amanda Malas

Hartley, Kent

SIR – Face-to-face GP appointments have continued throughout the pandemic in our part of France, as have annual cancer monitoring and any investigative MRI scans, X-rays or ultrasounds. Masks are worn and appropriate sanitising is carried out.

Following these procedures, you either walk out with the results in your hand or receive them within 24 hours. Consultation times for GP and hospital appointments have been slightly extended to reduce the possibility of queues. Why the disparity between France and the UK?

Christine Clegg Saint-aubin-le-cloud, Deux-sèvres, France

SIR – The NHS is not, nor has it ever been, a Covid-only service (Allison Pearson, Features, May 5). GP appointments have been available throughout the pandemic.

It was right, to cut the chances of catching Covid and protect our patients and workforce, that some NHS appointments had to take place online. However, appointments continued to be conducted in person and patients who need to see a doctor face to face should always be given this option.

More than half of appointments are still face-to-face and this number is increasing every month, as the restrictions placed on our lives to reduce Covid transmission are lifted.

As a GP I know that online appointments are not for everyone, but they are welcomed by millions and are widely available. Video consultations help people to describe symptoms quickly and allow a clinician to triage a patient to the right service. In January, there were more than two million online consultation requests submitted to general practice and about 155,000 video consultations.

In a recent independent survey, the majority of people reported receiving appropriate care and more people than not said they would be happy with future consultations taking place remotely. However, everyone working in primary care remains committed to ensuring face-to-face appointments continue to be offered. They are at the heart of what we do.

Dr Nikki Kanani

Medical Director of Primary Care NHS England

London SE1

SIR – My GP surgery, while refusing to offer anything like a proper caring service to patients, is more than happy to provide my wife and me with letters on surgery notepaper confirming that we have been vaccinated (required by the Israeli embassy to accompany requests to enter the country). But the surgery will charge me £30 per letter. Nice work if you can get it.

Brian Gedalla

London N3