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Fears more people could be going to A&E due to shortage in face-to-face GP appointments
Councillors are worried that residents are resorting to A&E departments as a result of lengthy GP waits
A local council has expressed concerns over the rise in residents using A&E services as a result of the waiting times for GP appointments.
In its latest meeting, Rossendale Borough Council discussed concerns over the current booking systems and availability of in-person appointments since the pandemic.
Councillor Alan Neal fears that patients are visiting NHS walk-in centres and accident and emergency departments as an alternative to the lengthy waiting times to see their own doctors.
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Speaking at the meeting, Neal said: “This is not a criticism of the medical profession. It is a criticism of the organisational system.
“A few years ago, CCGs [clinical commissioning group] were were set up across the country but, sadly, that system is not fit for purpose.”
Council Leader Coun Alyson Barne added: “I do not want to appear critical of healthcare workers at this time. They have had a terrible time and some of our GPs have been at the forefront of the Covid vaccine programme.
“But I know there have been difficulties with getting through to GPs. Some of the problem appears to be with technology and I hope that will be looked at the in the scrutiny exercise.”
Since the start of the pandemic, the number of people waiting for NHS treatment in England grew by a fifth, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, who found that 5.3 million people were waiting for treatment in May 2021, a jump of 4.4 million from February 2020.
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Health Secretary Sajid Javid, previously warned that the crisis is ‘going to get a lot worse before it gets better’, writing on Twitter: “The Covid backlog for appointments is sadly going to get a lot worse before it gets better, as more people start to come forward. Tackling that is going to take time – but it will be one of my top priorities.”
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged that the waiting times need to be addressed, saying backlogs ‘need to be cleared as fast as possible’.
He told the BBC that around nine million NHS treatments could be funded by a newly proposed government investment while also urging people – particularly younger age groups – to get vaccinated against Covid.