Don’t go to your doctor until new year, GPs tell patients
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.
As surgeries closed for Christmas on Friday night, patients were told that routine appointments with family doctors are off the table until at least the new year.
The first round of strikes ends at 7am on Saturday before the longest strikes in NHS history begin on Jan 3, lasting for six consecutive days.
Patient groups said the NHS was in “meltdown” and that the strikes were “the last thing older people need” as they called for the dispute to be resolved.
The NHS has insisted that patients continue to contact their GP or use NHS 111 during strike action, but multiple GP practices from around England have warned patients against making appointments at all.
One patient said they were “sick of the [GPs] demanding a 35 per cent pay rise and putting lives at risk this Christmas”, while another said they were being directed to call 111 despite urgent needs.
GP practices typically operate Monday to Friday and will not reopen until Dec 27 because of the weekend and Christmas.
Junior doctors who are training to become family doctors make up more than one in four of the GP workforce, accounting 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, because it uses 13 GPs in training who are all on strike.
Forest Practice, in Essex, said it had “fewer appointments” available due to its trainee GPs taking industrial action.
“If you think your problem can be dealt with on a non-strike day, we’d be grateful if you could call back,” its website read.
Stubbington Medical Practice in Fareham, Hampshire, said it “will not be booking routine GP appointments from Friday 15 December 2023 to Tuesday 2 January 2024”.
The Sunlight Group Practice, in Birkenhead, said “there will be limited pre-bookable appointments” during the strike period, while Kings Medical Centre, in Essex and Helix Medical Centre, in Hertfordshire, said patients who require urgent care would be prioritised.
The Queensbridge Group, in east London, also said it would be “prioritising urgent medical queries” from today until the 2nd January and asked people who couldn’t get through to “make contact with us in the new year”.
“These strikes are occurring at one of the busiest times of year” and will have an “impact on the number of appointments we can offer as a practice”, its website read.
‘Last thing’ older people need
Dennis Reed, director of over 60s campaign group Silver Voices, said: “When every aspect of the NHS is in meltdown, the last thing older people need is protracted industrial action.
“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. The junior doctors retain widespread support and making them public enemy number one is a counter-productive strategy.”
Officials have repeatedly claimed there is a shortage of family doctors to meet the demand of patients and strikes have exacerbated the shortfall.
Dr Robert Laurenson, strike leader and co-chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors’ committee, is a GP trainee at Dartford and Gravesham Trust, Kent.
Dr Laurenson 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.
“It is the Government’s insistence that they will not talk while strikes are scheduled that is blocking progress and wasting unnecessary time,” he said.
Ms Atkins, who has agreed deals with consultants and specialist doctor committees to put to members since her appointment, urged junior doctors to call off the strikes and thrash out a deal. “We will be back round the table in 20 minutes,” she said.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said GPs were “working under significant pressure”.
“Whilst we would always encourage patients to use all NHS services responsibly, and perhaps consider whether non-urgent or minor problems can be dealt with through self-care or other alternative community services, if patients are unwell, they should access care.”
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.
“If you require emergency services on strike days or over the festive period, then call 999 for life threatening conditions, or contact NHS 111 online or by phone to access the general practice out of hours services for all for non-life threatening conditions.”
