GPs: 'Patients are angry and we're trying hard to help'

The NHS is under increased pressure dealing with the backlog of patients caused by Covid-19.

An Essex GP surgery says demand for its services is four times what it was before the pandemic.

Staff say they are providing as many face-to-face appointments as possible, but say patients have been frustrated and some even abusive.

So how are they managing to cope?

Amanda Gunn, a receptionist at Danbury Medical Centre in Chelmsford, says she has "really noticed a change, it has got a lot busier now".

She says the surgery is seeing "a lot of issues which could be dealt with at the pharmacy".

"We have to work really hard to get to the people who really need our help," she says.

The 50-year-old says the reception staff receive "quite a lot" of abuse.

"It got so bad about a month ago they were talking about bodycams for us to wear," she says.

"The patients are frustrated. I can understand that - sometimes when you've got to ring up and you've got to wait on the phone.

"Patients come in and they're angry and they think if they really beat you down you'll give them an appointment, but there aren't the appointments to give them. The doctors are back-to-back with patients."

Michelle Manning, the reception manager at the surgery, says: "The appointments go so quickly it's hard for us to turn around to the patients and say all the appointments have gone - and that's while we've got more patients ringing in."

She believes there have been more people contacting the surgery during the pandemic. "People have had time to realise they've got something wrong with them," she says.

The 57-year-old says: "I think people have got more frustrated, people are getting more angry.

"People have got much more agitated and receptions are the front line, and we are trying so hard to help.

"We only have so many GPs and so many appointments. We have hundreds of patients coming through the surgery."

Manuel Sevillano is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, who does things like prescribe medicine and administer acute care.

He says: "We've got an aging population. The elderly are more frail, with more medical problems, more comorbidities, and need more complex medical care."

But he says there is a "big lack of GPs" with "not enough staff to meet the needs of a growing population".

"The staff are burnt out, it's just been non-stop with a lack of human resources," he says.

Mr Sevillano says in his role he carries out telephone consultations as well as seeing a few patients a day face-to-face.

"I have 10 years' experience in A&E so I know the patients who need to go to hospital or the ones who would just be discharged," he says.

He adds the surgery is "managing the expectations of patients", saying they might not always need to see a GP and some might see another member of staff.

Dr Caroline Dollery, a GP partner at Danbury, says "there's been a pent up demand because of Covid".

She says other reasons for the demand include elderly patients becomes "frailer and [more] ill" during the pandemic.

But Dr Dollery also says: "People are really struggling with mental health issues.

"There's almost a panic around access. It's why so many people are going to A&E."

She says before the pandemic, across England, there was a lack of GPs and "it's worse now".

"Although GP training is going up, that's going to take time," she adds.

Despite that, the surgery has decided to give GPs longer 15-minute appointments.

"People come with a list and that's really stressful because you haven't got time to deal with them all in 10 minutes," she says.

Dr Dollery also says if a member of staff or more get Covid, "it's a nightmare".

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care says it is working to "grow the workforce, improve access to GPs and tackle the Covid backlog to ensure everyone receives the care they need".

She says the government has invested an extra £520m to expand GP capacity during the pandemic.

"There were over 1,400 more doctors working in general practice in March 2022 compared to the same time in 2019 and a record-breaking number started training as GPs last year," she says.

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