Covid: Medical centre cancels pre-booked appointments

Hanham Medical Centre has written to all its 22,000 patients to explain its decision

A health centre has cancelled all pre-booked appointments because so many staff have been affected by Covid.

Patients at Hanham and Oldland near Bristol can only be seen for on the day emergency appointments.

The practice wrote to all its patients explaining that staff were exhausted and it was having to make difficult decisions about their operation.

"We're doing the best we can and the vast majority of our patients are very supportive," said Dr Paul Taylor.

"I am celebrating 30 years as a GP this month and I've never known it like this in such a sustained fashion"

In a letter to its 22,000 registered patients the health centre stated that staff "were all exhausted" adding the centre was "overstretched and having to make difficult decisions".

It also said it was frustrated and saddened that they could not provide the usual level of care.

"We're revising it all the time. I've seen numbers coming down recently, now whether that means we're over the crest remains to be seen," Dr Taylor added.

"There are of course other avenues for health care. You can access care through your pharmacist and by calling NHS 111."

The health centre team plan to review the situation regularly and return to a more settled service as soon as they can.