GP waiting times tackled with 'hidden surgery'

The location of the urgent access hub has been kept a secret by doctors for fear of being overwhelmed by patients

A "hidden" GP surgery has been set up in a bid to reduce waiting times for appointments.

The urgent access hub has been running for five weeks and was started by a team of doctors in the region.

North Lincolnshire GP group Safecare Network said about 900 patients who would otherwise have waited for an appointment had been referred.

They have kept the location secret to discourage patients from turning up unexpectedly.

Two doctors a day are working extra shifts at the hub, where patients are offered face-to-face appointments once they have been referred by their GP.

Patient Lynne Sleight said she welcomed the hub after an "awful" experience of waiting for a GP appointment at the surgery where she is registered

Patient Lynne Sleight said: "It really is awful trying to get an appointment. You ring up and you're on the phone for hours.

"So it was very welcome when she rang me and said I could come here."

Dr Faisel Baig, GP and chair of NHS North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "Short-staffed general practice teams are providing record numbers of appointments, but despite these heroic efforts, unfortunately, we know that patient demand exceeds the capacity.

"So in terms of staffing, we're very lucky. There's a lot of goodwill from our GPs who are basically coming in to help out."

Dr Mubarak Jajja, GP and chair of Safecare Network, said there was a huge demand for the service despite extra clinics opening to address the problem.

"We felt that to reduce the pressure on A&E and other services if we have something like this, it would be much more helpful to all the [health practitioners]," he said.

Dr Mubarak Jajja said there was a "huge demand" for the service

According to figures from NHS Digital, in the week up to 7 February 2022, 76% of patients in North Lincolnshire were seen by a GP in a face-to-face appointment compared with the national average of 61%.

Safecare said its hub, which has been funded by an NHS grant, is due to run until June.

It hopes to restart the service later in the year when appointments are expected to increase during the winter months.