Leading GP warns of 'unsafe' conditions as patient numbers grow

In a report going before county councillors this week, Tim Morton, chairman of the Norfolk and Waveney Local Medical Committee, has issued a stark warning about how pressures facing his fellow GPs will impact patients.

He said that more GP appointments are taking place than ever before at the moment - but with considerably fewer doctors available to manage these.

And he warned that this ratio is reaching "unsafe" levels.

He said: "For those still working in general practice, the slow but steady haemorrhaging of GPs means that current pressures become even more acute.

"As the number of GPs goes down and patient numbers go up, each remaining GP takes on significantly more responsibility for more and more patients. This is unsafe."

He said the average number of patients each GP is responsible for had risen by around 15pc since 2015 - meaning each GP is looking after around approximately 300 extra patients each.

Latest figures show that the number of appointments being honoured is increasingly on the up.

In November, 629,602 appointments were provided across Norfolk and Waveney alone, a 12pc increase on November 2019 and the equivalent of more than 33,000 appointments every day.

There was also a year-on-year increase of more than 600,000, with around five million appointments being fulfilled between April and December 2021 in Norfolk and Waveney - with 85pc of these being face to face.

On top of these routine appointments, GP surgeries in the region delivered 580,684 Covid vaccinations and 271,502 seasonal flu jabs.

But Dr Morton added that this growing strain, coupled with plummeting morale could see more and more GPs opt to leave the profession.

He added: "Increased levels of unacceptable abuse both verbal and sometimes physical, fuelled by ill-judged comments on social media, has also been seen in general practice.

"Reception staff are often at the forefront of this behaviour and vexatious complaints do nothing but reduce the morale of staff working in a service which is being stretched in all directions."

And growing waiting lists for elective procedures at hospitals, he said, are also hitting GP patients, owing to knock-on effects.

He said: "Many patients who have been on long waiting lists need frequent reassessment, require letters expediating appointments where necessary, but also require ongoing symptom support while waiting - not least psychologically.

"We have seen huge increases in mental health presentations most notably in children and young people with local mental health services unable to cope with these numbers."

These factors all contribute to it becoming all the more difficult for people to obtain appointments with their GP - even with the increase in the number that are taking place.

In the earlier stages of the pandemic, fewer appointments were held in person, with virtual and telephone appointments brought in primarily as an infection control measure.

However, these are now increasingly being used to assess whether patients need face-to-face appointments or not.

But from June 2021, practices began moving more towards the type of service offered pre-pandemic - although telephone appointments are still being used to assess the need for face-to-face appointments and similar purposes.

However, even with the increased number of appointments being held in person, some people are still reporting difficulties getting in with a doctor.

In September, 73-year-old Mark Knight from Paston said he "felt abandoned" in his struggles.

Mark Knight shared his concerns over people not being able to get face-to-face appointments with their GPs. (Image: Mark Knight)

Now, he says he has seen little evidence that things have changed.

He said: "In honesty, I do not really bother as I don't feel like I'm going to be seen anyway, so I just carry on. You feel as though you're hitting your head against a brick wall.

"I haven't really needed to see a doctor in the past few months, but my sister is in Hemsby and she has all sorts of problems with her legs and she hasn't been able to get an appointment."

'I suppose you'd rather I die then?'

A former GP reception worker who has recently left the profession has laid bare the level of abuse that contributed to their change in career.

The former worker, who did not wish to be named, has worked in surgeries for the past five years.

They said: "The one I found most was people saying 'well I suppose you'd rather I die then?' before slamming down the telephone.

"You also get very personal comments like 'you wouldn't like it if I was your mum or dad trying to get help'.

"It is as though they think we're the ones who are setting the rules.

"Patients also often question why we need to know what their conditions are as receptionists and get cross at us for asking - but how else were we supposed to make sure they saw the right person?

"Those who don't give their details would then go to the bottom of the pile as an unknown condition that can't be prioritised, which is no good for anybody."