Warning as GPs in Cornwall on 'brink of crisis'

Doctors in Cornwall are warning GP surgeries are on the "brink of crisis"

GP surgeries in Cornwall are on the "brink of a crisis", doctors have said.

The Kernow Local Medical Committee (LMC) which represents the profession said GPs were overwhelmed by issues such as increased workload - including delivering the majority of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The stark warning comes after similar issues were raised by doctors in Devon.

Committee chairman Dr Nick Rogers said: "I am proud to be a GP... but it's becoming increasingly challenging."

Dr Rogers said a GP's work was "really intense and draining" and said on one day on call for his surgery he had 60 patient contacts - the equivalent of one patient every 10 minutes for ten hours without a break

He added: "Unfortunately following lockdown easing we have seen a massive surge in demand and we are struggling to meet it with a workforce which is already tired and stressed after delivering most of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign on top of our day job."

Dr Rogers said there were also wider issues such as a "shortage of GPs and practice nurses along with underinvestment in general practice nationally".

"You could say it's a perfect storm," he said.

'Crisis points'

The LMC said issues in other areas of the NHS including "exceptionally long waits for ambulance transfers by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust" were adding to the pressure for GPs and meant they were also having to manage acutely unwell patients in need of hospital care for longer.

Last month, seven leaders of Cornwall's health and care systems wrote a joint letter setting out an "ongoing extreme surge in demand" across the county's health system.

But the LMC said despite the challenges, GP surgeries in Cornwall remained open as they had throughout the pandemic "thanks to its clinicians and staff" and in July provided 326,570 appointments, with 59% of patients being seen face-to-face.

Dr Rogers said the LMC was calling for urgent support from local health system partners to help manage demand and to find ways to plan ahead for crisis points.

He added: "We are working as hard, fast and safely as possible to deliver the best outcomes for our patients, set against the challenges faced."

Scott Mann, Conservative MP for North Cornwall, said there were "some challenges in the GP sector at the moment".

He said: "First of all recruitment and retention within Cornwall - that's a big problem.

"We are looking at all of this and obviously we have got a big tranche of money that is going to be coming into the NHS now and I'm pretty convinced that by spending it in primary care we will alleviate some of the pressure we get in our hospitals."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The government has worked with the NHS on tackling the backlog caused by the pandemic, investing £270m to expand GP capacity, on top of £1.5bn committed for general practice until 2023/24 to deliver world-class care to patients."