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NHSE asks GPs to be ‘sympathetic’ to patients asking for last-minute travel support

NHSE asks GPs to be ‘sympathetic’ to patients asking for last-minute travel support

GPs should help their patients prepare for going on holiday and be ‘sympathetic’ with those who approach them at the last minute, NHS England has said.

Holidaying patients are recommended to contact their registered practice remotely in the first instance, NHS England deputy medical director of primary care Dr Raj Patel added.

Speaking at the latest NHS England GP webinar, Dr Patel said: ‘As we come up to improving weather and the long days, we know that people are preferring to move around the UK even if they can’t go abroad so please help your patients prepare for this. 

‘Make sure that they’ve got adequate medication, do help them plan and do be sympathetic with those people who get in contact with you quite late.’

NHS England is recommending that patients who ‘require assistance whilst away’ should contact their normal GP by phone or other virtual means ‘in the first place’ because they ‘know more about them than anyone else’, he added.

However, if patients need to see another doctor face-to-face they can do so by the standard route of temporary registration, Dr Patel said.

It comes as an independent GP app has launched the UK’s first Covid vaccination ‘passport’ feature, while GP leaders have raised concerns about increasing numbers of request for online records access.

Earlier this month, the BMA said that the Government has ‘accepted’ that any vaccine certification should have ‘minimal impact’ on GPs.

Meanwhile, the UK Government has today announced that more than a quarter of the UK’s adult population are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19.


          

READERS' COMMENTS [7]

Please note, only GPs are permitted to add comments to articles

Dave Haddock 27 April, 2021 7:58 pm

NHSE are completely detached from reality, and lacking any moral authority to ask for anything but forgiveness for their past crimes.

Richard Greenway 28 April, 2021 1:35 pm

Help people to prepare for their holidays? Are we now taking where Thomas Cook left off.

terry sullivan 28 April, 2021 1:57 pm

nhse–foad

terry sullivan 28 April, 2021 1:57 pm

wheres simon?

Maria Carrasco 28 April, 2021 6:31 pm

People’s last minute holidays are not my priority right now thank you very much NHSE.
So sorry – no sympathy from me!

David Jarvis 29 April, 2021 7:01 pm

The only people getting sympathy for holidays are fellow NHS coal face workers. Along with sick notes for stress.

David jenkins 2 May, 2021 2:34 pm

er………….NO !

far too busy dealing with patients who “are ill, or perceive themselves to be ill” to have enough time to deal with those who……………….perceive themselves to be well enough to go on holiday !

by the way — if you are ill when you are not in my practice area, phone a local practice.

i might “have known more about you than anyone else” the last time i saw you, when i had access to your records, but i have absolutely no idea what has happened to you since then.

DO NOT TOUCH THIS WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S BARGE POLE – IT IS A RECIPE FOR A NEGLIGENCE ACTION !!

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY “PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS” WHEN THEY MAY EVEN BE IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY ?!