Strep A demand forces GPs to cancel routine appointments

GPs had to stop routine appointments earlier in the week after becoming overwhelmed with respiratory infections-related demand, including strep A.

The St Thomas Medical Group in Exeter, which consists of four practices, sent texts to patients on Tuesday (20 December), asking them to hold off booking non-urgent appointments in January.

The text, seen by ITV West Country, said: ‘There is a Devon critical incident outbreak of strep A and respiratory conditions. The practice has been advised to cancel routine GP appointments to support this rise is demand.

‘We’re asking all of our patients with routine medical need to please contact us where possible in the new year to book an appointment. If you require urgent support please call us, send an online consultation or call 111.

‘We are sorry for the inconvenience but want to thank you for your cooperation and understanding.’

GPs across the UK have reported seeing record levels of demand this week.

BMA Northern Ireland GP Committee chair Dr Alan Stout posted a ‘GP alert’ on Twitter on Monday which said: ‘There will be significant delays and difficulties today in all practices. At midnight last night there were nearly 400 calls in Belfast alone to be returned (by 2 GPs on the red eye). Huge and unsafe pressure for those involved.’

‘These will now spill over into Monday morning in practice along with an anticipated very high call volume on top of normal Monday morning rush. Please be patient, it will be difficult, we will try hard but it’s not our fault. We expect complaints and criticism.’

And Dr Dave Triska, a GP in Surrey, said his practice with 11,500 patients saw 366 patient contacts in just one day on Monday.

Dr Fadi Khalil, a GP in Sunderland, said ‘every GP I spoke to has said [demand is] unmanageable’, and warned that GP practices were becoming emergency departments with walk-in patients who left A&E because they were tired of waiting.

The news comes as NHS England today warned that the number of patients with flu in hospital has increased by two thirds in one week ‘amid significant pressure on services’.

There was an average of 1,939 flu cases in England’s hospitals every day last week, up from 1,162 the previous week.

NHS England also said the number of flu patients in intensive care had ‘skyrocketed’, up by more than 70% on the week before to 149 a day. It said this compares to just two flu patients a day in critical care, and 32 in general and acute beds, in December last year.

Demand for NHS 111 also rose further in the last week, despite already standing at 60% higher than this time last year. There were 721,301 calls last week – up from 706,129 the week before.

‘The rise in demand is understood to be partly driven by parents concerned about symptoms of Strep A,’ NHS England’s announcement said.

NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: ‘With more industrial action scheduled for next week, there will be disruption but we urge the public to continue to use services wisely by continuing to call 999 for life-threatening emergencies, use 111 online for other health conditions, and take sensible steps to keep yourself and others safe.

‘The NHS has prepared for winter extensively with more beds, extra call handlers as well as the expansion of falls response services, control centres and respiratory hubs, but with flu hospitalisations and Covid cases on the rise, the best things you can do to protect yourself is to get vaccinated if you’re eligible.’

However, his assertion comes as Pulse revealed this week that most ICB areas were still in the planning stages for setting up respiratory hubs.

Published today, NHS Digital’s latest statistical publication on GP appointments showed that practices provided 32.9 million appointments, including 1.7 millon Covid vaccinations in November.

This was down from a record 36 million appointments in October. Data for December is due to be published towards the end of next month.

BMA has warned GP services must not get too overwhelmed to see other sick patients, urging NHS England to bring in urgent additional capacity to NHS 111 call handling services.