I am sure it hasn't escaped your attention that the media onslaught on general practice has continued this month, with stories deploring the apparent lack of face-to-face appointments and campaigns started to increase the numbers of appointments offered. We all know that practice nurses have been doing many face-to-face appointments throughout the pandemic and this never stopped – after all you cannot give a vaccination or change a dressing over the phone – so what are the real figures for general practice overall? The NHS Digital (2021) statistics for July 2021 do show a reduction in the number of face-to-face appointments that took place compared to July 2019 (the fairest comparison, as July 2020 was in the middle of the pandemic), but that was made up by an increase in the number of telephone appointments.
The time between booking an appointment and the appointment taking place – something that is very important to patients – actually reduced, with over 45% of appointments happening on the same day in July 2021, compared with 42% in July 2019. So general practice is providing faster access to healthcare compared to pre-pandemic services.
The blended approach of remote and face-to-face consultations, based on clinical need with triage, is necessary. We do not have enough practice nurses, GPs and other health care staff. Perhaps instead of directing anger at people doing the job, the media should be asking the government why we are so short of staff and what they are planning on doing about it?
The good news is that some people have responded to the media onslaught in a different way, by sharing positive stories under the hashtag #ThanksToMyGP. And while newspapers may be complaining about telephone appointments, I saw evidence on Twitter of patients asking for them during the petrol supply crisis to avoid using up fuel. While there is a vocal backlash against remote appointments, many people do find them convenient and a blended approach makes a lot of sense, particularly for those who work far away from their GP surgery and may not need to take time off for minor problems that can be dealt with on the phone.
Although it is lovely to see support from the public, as Crystal Oldman, Chief Executive of the Queen's Nursing Institute, so eloquently puts in her column on page 422, we really need politicians to give high profile public support to general practice and stand up for the general practice workforce. Using a workforce that is doing its best for point scoring with voters is not good leadership.
How has the media coverage of general practice made you feel? Let us know at pn@markallengroup.com
‘Practice Nursing provides nurses working in general practice with the tools to reach their full potential and deliver the best possible care to their patients. Our monthly journal informs and inspires by providing up-to-date, evidence-based clinical articles, highlighting key professional issues and promoting the latest research in general practice.’