GPs in B&NES have issued an open letter to residents about current pressure and how people can support the NHS.
Despite current pressures, practices remain open, with a range of appointments available inc face-to-face, telephone and online.
Please see the images attached, as shared with Saltford Parish Council by NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group.
An open letter to people living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and
Wiltshire:
It’s no secret that GP practices in our area are incredibly busy right now, and while we know
this may cause some to have concerns about not being able to access care, we want to
reassure our communities that we are open.
However, the pressure we are currently seeing, which stems from a mixture of staff
absences, increasing numbers of coronavirus cases and an increase in demand for urgent
and emergency care, means we are working in conditions not usually seen outside the
middle of winter
During August, which is the last full month for which statistics are available, GP practices in
our area carried out more than 366,000 appointments, of which more than half (56 per cent)
took place in person.
This is up by more than 50,000 when compared to August of last year, which means our
teams are now providing around 2,400 more appointments each day.
We know some patients have struggled recently to get through to their practice, and we
know this hasn’t been ideal, but please be assured that our practices are open, as they have
been throughout the entirety of the pandemic.
Coronavirus meant that we had to adapt the way we offered appointments, so that we could
continue to see patients in a way that kept both patients and our practice staff safe.
This meant carrying out more telephone and video consultations, which many patients told
us they preferred, especially at this current time.
As well as preventing the need for people to travel, remote appointments give people the
convenience of being able to be seen and treated within their own home or at work, while
also helping us to avoid having crowded waiting rooms in our practices.
That does not mean in-person discussions are no longer available – they absolutely are –
especially for people with potentially serious health concerns.
Our GP practices will always offer appointments, either face to face, or via remote
consultation, with the health and care professional most appropriate for a patient’s needs.
We know that people have been hugely supportive of us throughout the pandemic, and we
truly appreciate this, but it’s important to remember that Covid-19 has not gone away, and
we still need your help.
When our receptionists ask questions on the phone, this is not a barrier, but an important
process to ensure that people are cared for in the most appropriate way, and by the most
appropriate professional, such as a physiotherapist, mental health nurse or phlebotomist, all
of whom are experts in their area.
So please be kind, and remember that our administrative teams are here to help, just as
much as our clinicians.
Staying home when feeling under the weather, as well as visiting a local pharmacy for minor
illnesses and injuries, keeps more appointments available for those who really need them.
