Sofia Lind signs off the year with a thank-you message for battered and bruised GPs
If these last few weeks have been the busiest you have ever experienced in your practice, you are not alone.
A GP I spoke to last week said strep A ‘media panic’ has ‘created more pressure than at any point in Covid’, adding that ‘it has been horrendous’.
On Twitter, a GP at an 11k-patient practice said they had a record number of patient requests in one day this week – 366 to be precise.
Another GP told me they had 100 extra patient contacts on Monday of this week.
Of course, the demand is not just related to strep A – although the Government certainly could have handled the scarlet fever alert messaging with more delicacy.
Respiratory illness, including Covid, has been on the rise for the past few weeks, as shown in hospital statistics.
In addition, GPs are managing patients on the ever-growing, seven million-strong list of patients waiting for secondary care treatment.
Yesterday’s nurses’ strike, and today’s ambulance staff walkout, will not help – but I’ve yet to speak to a GP who is unsympathetic.
There is a wide understanding – I would like to think also among patients – that NHS workers are striking not just for adequate pay but to restore services to a level where basic patient needs can be met.
What could have helped manage GP demand in the run-up to Christmas is if ICBs had taken NHS England winter resilience advice to set up dedicated acute respiratory infection hubs.
But a Pulse investigation this week revealed this has – on the whole – not happened. Just four areas told Pulse they have a solution in place, with many others still deliberating.
As usual, GP workload is a second thought for commissioners focused on hospital targets and statistics.
At the same time, GPs were given a Harry-and-Meghan-style media battering this year, as some newspapers carried on with their relentless (and to me perplexing) quest to poison patient minds against GPs.
Despite all of this, I hope you get some time to relax this Christmas and give yourself a big pat on the back for getting through another year in general practice.
Thanks for all you do and happy holidays from all of us at Pulse.
Sofia Lind is deputy editor of Pulse. Follow her on twitter at @sofialind_Pulse or email her at sofialind@cogora.com
