Significant drop in Herts Valleys GP appointments in March

NHS Digital data shows that 39,757 GP appointments were recorded in the NHS Herts Valleys CCG area - which covers west Hertfordshire - in the last seven days of March.

This was 30 per cent fewer than in the first week of the month, and 28 per cent below the same week a year previously.

The Royal College of GPs says the decline in patients seeking help for non-coronavirus related conditions is concerning and could have serious consequences.

But the NHS says changes in how surgeries operate during the pandemic may have affected the figures, with remote sessions under reported.

Across England, practices recorded a 30 per cent reduction in sessions between the first and last weeks of the month.

The figures also show 43 per cent of appointments in the Herts Valleys in the last week of March were recorded as face-to-face, compared to 80 per cent in the first seven days.

Meanwhile, telephone appointments rose from 14 per cent to 54 per cent over the seven day period.

A spokesperson for Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group said: “During March we introduced new ways of working for GPs to help patients and staff to stay safe during the Covid-19 outbreak.

"Since mid March GPs have been mainly providing telephone or video consultations so that people can continue to be able to speak to GPs when they need to during lockdown.

"Although practices may be recording these telephone and video appointments differently, our GPs remain busy supporting patients in these different ways. GPs are still providing face-to-face appointments where needed.

“Our GPs are still here for patients and it’s important that anyone needing medical help continues to contact their surgery or practice either by phone or online."

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the RCGP, said the data will not capture other ways care is being delivered, such as via “Covid hubs" and GPs providing NHS 111 support.

He added: “Nevertheless, a decline in patients seeking medical help for conditions and illnesses unrelated to the Covid-19 pandemic is concerning and could lead to serious consequences, as we have seen in previous health crises.

“As such, we want to remind patients that GP practices are open and if they are seriously ill or concerned about their health – or if, for example, they or their child is due a vaccination – they should contact their GP practice.”

The NHS said the decline does not necessarily mean GPs are offering fewer appointments overall.

It added doctors could be using more list appointments, in which contact with several patients is only counted once, while online and video sessions “may also not be routinely captured”.

Medical director for primary care Nikki Kanani said: “Last month practices delivered nearly 25 million appointments – over the phone, online or face-to-face where needed – and the majority took place within 48 hours, showing that even during these unprecedented times, if people require help from a GP they are able to get it, making contact initially by phone or online.”

The Patients Association has urged the NHS to closely monitor the consequences of the shift to more remote consultations.

Chief executive Rachel Power said: “If the findings show that it’s been positive for patients, then we’d like to see plans to make more routine use of telephone consultations once the pandemic is over. But if this isn’t the case, then GPs will need support to correct any shortcomings in patient care.”

The RCGP said its own data showed 71 per cent of routine consultations were done remotely in the four weeks to April 12, compared to just 24 per cent over the same period a year earlier.

Prof Marshall said that while general practice will remain a face-to-face service, being able to offer remote appointments will be beneficial long after the pandemic is over.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said the data did not “accurately reflect” the changes in general practice during Covid-19.