Oxfordshire GP says doctors working in free time to cope with demand

Dr Rogers (not pictured) said some staff at the surgery have been brought to tears by irate patients

GPs in Oxfordshire will find it "very difficult" to sustain the pace they have worked at during the coronavirus pandemic, a doctor has warned.

Dr Gwyneth Rogers, who works in Banbury, said some were doing work in their free time to meet "huge" demand.

It comes after a number of NHS services across the county have come under severe pressure.

Last week, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust's chief operating officer said its hospitals were "very busy".

Dr Rogers, who is the clinical lead at Banbury Cross Health Centre, said the issues had led to abuse from patients which had brought staff to tears.

Last week, NHS bosses asked patients to think carefully about what help they needed before coming to hospitals

She told BBC Radio Oxford: "I know that we all come to work to do our best for our patients. We put our patients first, we really care about them and nobody comes to work to do a bad job."

She added: "The demand is huge on general practice at the moment and we are trying everything we can to address the demand and to help people.

"And at the moment that means we are working in the evenings and logging on from home at the weekends."

Dr Rogers' surgery has also been criticised for the way appointments are booked, leading to a petition which has gathered hundreds of signatures.

Patient Les Southam, who set it up, said it was difficult to secure an appointment when they are first available at 08:00 on weekdays because people are taking their children to school or busy doing other things.

"If you can get to the service you're wanting - a nurse or a doctor - you can't fault the service. We're happy with the service we get when we get it," she said.

Dr Rogers said the surgery's call staff were "very busy" but that there are systems to ensure it was "responsive to the sickest people".