Frustrated Shropshire patients in plea on GP surgeries

And around seven in 10 say they find it difficult to make an appointment with their doctor.

More than 1,200 people took part in a shropshirestar.com survey on the state of GP services across the county.

The message given is one of frustration at not always being able to access help from their surgery.

Almost nine in 10 people said they would like to see evening and weekend appointments introduced. And a third of those questioned said they had opted to call 111 after failing to get hold of their own GP.

And perhaps more worrying is the fact 89 per cent of people said they don’t believe they have a good personal relationship with their doctor. And almost eight in 10 say they didn’t believe their GP was there for them in their time of need.

The survey comes as the NHS Confederation says the crisis in general practice must be acknowledged and addressed. It says many surgeries do not have the facilities they need.

Almost seven in 10 of those questioned in our survey said they found it difficult to access a doctor. Only around one in 10 said they had no problems.

And, overwhelmingly, patients believe the situation now is worse than before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, with three quarters saying service has deteriorated.

What is clear is that patients continue to have respect for their GP – they just want better access.

Some moves have already been made to extend the hours of surgeries and 85 per cent say they support evening or weekend appointments.

The survey comes as a report raises concerns that the gap between the number of GPs per patient in richer and poorer parts of England is widening.

Analysis by Cambridge University saw “stark inequalities” in GPs’ distribution, with parts of the West Midlands hit. Earlier this year, public satisfaction with GP care, measured by the British Social Attitudes poll, fell to its lowest level since the survey began in 1983.

'We are working ourselves to the bone and need investment'

A GP today warned investment is the only way to improve access to primary care, with doctors “at full capacity” and “working themselves to the bone” to meet demand.

Dr Jess Harvey is a GP at Much Wenlock and Cressage Medical Practice, as well as the clinical director for the South East Shropshire Primary Care Network.

As pandemic lockdown restrictions have been wound down, doctors’ surgeries across the country have found themselves inundated with increased demand.

The reality has seen practices providing more appointments than at any stage in history, but as the Shropshire Star’s own survey shows, the public still feel they face difficulties in securing appointments.

Dr Harvey has spoken of the challenges facing the sector as it tries to cope with the number of people requiring help – and the need for understanding and respect between GPs and patients.

She said that a combination of investment in general practice, both buildings and staffing, as well as more use of other sources for patients – such as Allied Health Professionals (AHP), are needed to help provide the service the public wants and expects.

She has also warned of the impact of criticism and aggression towards staff.

She said: “I think there has been a chronic underinvestment in the NHS over the past decade, and if we want the NHS to function at a level patients deem to be acceptable then we need to be willing to invest in that, because the people in there are working at full capacity – they cannot work any harder. The NHS is saturated, and once you reach that point you just need to invest.”

Dr Harvey said there was no doubt that practices were seeing more demand, and from people who are living longer and with more complex issues – but that was reflected in practices delivering more appointments.

She said: “Essentially what we know is the demand for appointments has gone up, so if we look at appointments we are offering now compared to pre-pandemic, now we are offering millions more than pre-pandemic.

“However, demand has definitely gone up, I don’t think any GP would deny that.”

Dr Harvey said more allied health professionals, including physiotherapists and occupational therapists, have been recruited by surgeries to help patients

She also outlined how for some practices it is not even as simple as getting more doctors – with limited space for them to actually see patients and little option to expand. She said GPs needed to be understanding of patients, but also urged the public to consider the sacrifices and pressures on staff.

She said: “We could not work any harder. Your GP on average works between 10 and 13-hour days to get through everything – to see all the patients, to do all the admin. They are working themselves to the bone. I am surrounded by colleagues who are constantly sacrificing their own wellbeing for that of our patients.”

She added: “I feel as a profession, and primary care as a whole, we have been on the end of some incredibly negative and unfair criticism – I think pre-pandemic, but it has certainly become heightened during the pandemic and since.

“Morale has done its best to keep up but when people tell you you’re bad at your job enough it does have an effect. The level of aggression reception get particularly is incredibly unfair. If you are faced with that you have to decide if you want to continue.

“It is unfair because we are people who are going above and beyond to keep general practice going.”