Avoid going to GPs until the new year, patients warned

GPS HAVE warned patients to stay away until the new year because of striking doctors.

Surgeries around England have said they can only prioritise urgent cases with just four working days unaffected by strikes over three weeks.

Patients have been told routine appointments are off the table until at least the new year, as surgeries closed for Christmas last night.

The first round of strikes ends at 7am tomorrow before the longest strikes in NHS history begin on Jan 3, lasting for six consecutive days.

The NHS has insisted that patients continue to contact their GP or use NHS 111 during strike action, but multiple GP practices around England have warned patients off of making appointments.

One patient said they were “sick of the [GPs] demanding a 35 per cent pay rise and putting lives at risk this Christmas”. Another said they were being directed to 111 despite urgent needs.

GP practices typically operate Monday to Friday and will not reopen until Dec 27 owing to the weekend and Christmas. Junior doctors who are training to be family doctors account for 10,000 of the 37,000 GPs in England. Hall Grove Group Practice in Hertfordshire said it was set to close its eConsult service for three weeks until junior doctors ended their strike action on Jan 9, as reported by GP Online.

Dennis Reed, director of over-60s group Silver Voices, said: “The Government has the responsibility of providing safe health services for the UK population, and should sit down with the unions and resolve this dispute.”

Dr Robert Laurenson, strike leader and co-chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors’ committee, refuted claims from Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, that the BMA walked away from talks after she claimed many doctors “feel deeply uncomfortable” about the timing of the strikes.

An NHS spokesman said: “Although some junior doctors work in general practice, on strike days, GP surgeries and pharmacies will continue to be working as normal for patients and can be accessed in the usual ways.”