NHS health chief on patient demand at York GP practices

The new figures from NHS Digital show each GP team in York is currently dealing with 14,088 patients - above England's overall average of 9,258 people per practice.

With 26 practices in the NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area, services were dealing with 366,289 registered patients as of the end of June.

But one health chief in York claimed the figures were "misleading" – adding that some of those listed as single practices in the York statistics are in reality large practice groups, made up with multiple local sites.

Stephanie Porter, interim executive director primary care and population health at NHS Vale of York, said the number of patients registered at a practice had no bearing on factors such as access and quality of care.

The director said what matters is the ratio of GPs and clinical staff to patients, which - here in the Vale of York boundary - is almost in line with the average for England.

Though admitted that the whole system was “under enormous pressure and current demand on GP practices is over and above that which all the professionals jointly can deliver frequently."

York was not the only area with a high proportion of registered patients with practices under NHS South Sefton CCG in the North West facing an average of 5,405 registered patients.

Across England, 60.8 million patients were registered at 6,571 facilities in June – equating to an average of 9,258 people per practice.

This marks a 2.4 per cent rise on the year previously - and the highest figure since comparable quarterly records began in 2015.

Ms Porter told The Press: "The suggestion that each GP practice provides care for more than 14,000 people is misleading – some of those listed as single practices in the statistics are large practice groups made of multiple local sites.

"Larger practices have larger staff teams tailored to meet the needs of their local populations and services can also be coordinated or delivered through partnership working as Primary Care Networks.

"However, demand for primary care services is at an unprecedented level, as it is for all health and care services, mainly as a result of delayed care due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The whole system is under enormous pressure and current demand on GP practices is over and above that which all the professionals jointly can deliver frequently. This means health professionals are having to prioritise the most urgent cases every day. Everyone can play a part in reducing this pressure and ensuring primary care services are accessible to those who need them most. Please accept that there may be a longer wait than you're used to for routine care, and do everything you can before contacting your GP or going to A&E.

"Many minor illnesses such as sore throats, vomiting and diarrhoea can be treated at home and will get better without the need for professional medical attention. Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals who can provide confidential, expert advice and treatment for a range of common illnesses, such as headaches, fevers, upset stomachs and minor rashes. Please also access the NHS 111 non-emergency service if you need immediate medical help or advice, but it is not a life-threatening situation."

The health chief urged patients to respect the appointment type they are given by health professionals - from telephone calls to in-person assessments.

"Please be patient and kind to all our staff, who are doing their best to help you," she said.

"Please attend your appointments – or let your practice know if you can't attend, so the time can be given to someone else.

"Finally, take the opportunity to have both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to help reduce pressure on services."

Richard Vautrey, chairman of the BMA’s GP committee said: “The differences seen throughout England reflect the overall workforce crisis, which has been troubling for over a decade now.

"Numbers of GPs are falling while demand rises, leaving us with a severe shortage.

"With a growing and ageing population, only a medical workforce expansion will give us hope that we can offer good quality care to everyone in the future.”

He urged the Government to rapidly grow the medical workforce by at least 31 per cent to ensure all citizens receive the same standard of care.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it has invested £270 million to expand GP capacity, on top of £1.5 billion for extra staff until 2023-24.

A spokesperson added: "The highest ever number of doctors accepted a place on GP specialty training in 2020 and we are committed to increasing the number of training places available to 4,000 a year, as well as targeting recruitment in hard-to-recruit areas."