Even routine appointments axed by over a third of GPs

MORE than a third of GP practices have stopped booking routine appointments after being overwhelmed with calls, a survey reveals.

Family doctors say severe staff shortages and unprecedented demand have forced them to turn sick patients away. Of 8 4 doctors surveyed by GP magazine Pulse, 35 per cent said their surgery had stopped booking routine consultations at some point over the past year.

Dr Nick Morton, a GP partner in Norfolk and Waveney, said: ‘We operate a safety valve system 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, A&E.’

The system does not apply to some, including ‘the vulnerable and end-oflife patients’, and is not used often.

But it gives practice staff a ‘sense of being able to cope when deluged with demand’, Dr Morton said.

Dr Gaurav Gupta, a GP and chairman of the Kent Local Medical Committee, said it was ‘not surprising’ practices had been unable to provide services.

In March, GPs in England had more than 15million patient consultations – the highest number since records began, according to NHS Digital data.