Practice staff are facing new pressures as they seek to respond to massive public demand for booster vaccines, it has been revealed. Problems may worsen as health services face record levels of staff sickness as Omicron infection takes hold, senior NHS figures have warned. One senior GP spoke of “exhausted” staff, who need a break…

A senior GP has set out the hard choices that practices now face – questioning the Prime Minister’s claim that practices can help deliver a million booster vaccines a day. GPs need to continue to be concerned about other life-threatening diseases that affect their patients, as well as COVID, according to Dr Brigid Joughin, clinical…

Practices and other NHS services have been asked to give priority to the vaccine booster campaign – postponing routine appointments. A statement last night by Prime Minister Boris Johnson was backed by a letter circulated to practices by NHS England. The UK is hoping to reach a million vaccinations a day in a massive drive…

GP leaders in Scotland have spoken of “extreme concern” about how practices will cope with the winter after a survey found most doctors worried about providing care. Some 73% of GPs said their workload would hamper providing good care over the winter in a survey undertaken by the Royal College of GPs. The survey also…

Practice red tape has been slashed as the NHS launches a nationwide campaign to escalate the booster vaccine programme in the face of the threat from the omicron virus. Students, soldiers and clinicians working in administrative roles are being pressed into action to support the campaign to administer COVID booster vaccines over the next two…

Wales is to end the 8am appointment “bottleneck” as part of a £12 million GP contract deal, it has been announced. The Welsh government said that only releasing appointments at 8am is “no longer acceptable”. It said the extra funding would enable practices to develop efficient booking systems. The British Medical Association said the deal…

Practices will need help – and reductions in red tape – to release capacity for the massive vaccine booster campaign announced by the government, GP leaders have warned. Practices are being offered significantly increased payments for undertaking COVID vaccine campaigns – with payments for every dose delivered on a Sunday reaching £20 and £30 for…