GP leaders have rejected the latest claims that patients are unable to get appointments because of COVID restrictions.

The latest Daily Mail article points the finger at receptionists, accusing them of acting like “gatekeeper guard-docs. Caroline Abrams, chief executive of Age UK, told the paper: “Most experts assume the higher-than-usual deaths at home are people who aren’t coming forward and getting treatment for things they normally would. “They should not be falling at the first hurdle by struggling to even speak to a GP receptionist – that is very worrying. GPs must make sure patients know there is always an option for face-to-face appointments should that be needed.”

The Royal College of GPs said that 45% of GP consultations are now face to face. It said that practices have worked hard to increase the number of consultations – and that remote consultations have “suited” some patients. Last week’s General Medical Council survey suggested GPs and practice staff have found remote consultations more stressful than face to face meetings.

College vice-chair Dr Gary Howsam said: “The College has worked hard to get the message out that general practice is open, and launched a public awareness campaign to coincide with the start of the second national lockdown, urging patients to continue accessing GP care if they are concerned about their health or have signs that could indicate serious illnesses, such as cancer. We have also worked with the RNID to develop a toolkit to support GPs to deliver care for patients with hearing loss – a group we know find remote care more challenging.
Data from the College’s Research and Surveillance Centre shows that GPs and our teams are making more patient consultations than this time last year – with more than a million more appointments being conducted in the last four weeks comparatively. General practice is set to get busier as we anticipate usual winter pressures and the profession is also delivering the largest ever flu vaccination programme and is set to play a leading role in the COVID-19 vaccination programme. It’s essential that we have the necessary resources and workforce to get through this incredibly challenging period and continue delivering patient care to around a million patients a day.”

Fellow vice-chair Dr Michael Mulholland said: “The switch to a mostly remote service has, importantly, allowed general practice to remain open delivering vital care to both COVID and non-COVID patients. It’s been a remarkable transformation and the profession should be proud of how they’ve managed it. That many GPs surveyed in this GMC report disclosed difficulties associated with patient referrals and test delays is not entirely surprising given that the pandemic has been an incredible challenge for the entire NHS. Whilst the report did find different ways of working have helped some GPs find a healthier work-life balance, it also found that 28% of GPs are at a moderate to high risk of burnout. This is an improvement on 2019 but it remains concerning that over a quarter of the profession are working under conditions that risk them leaving the profession earlier than planned.”