160,000 GP appointments 'clogged up' with cases of conjunctivitis, says group
Conjunctivitis cases are clogging up'' thousands of GP appointments because infected children are being turned away from nursery, according to a leading representative body.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) estimates 160,000 consultations could be freed up and the pressures on family doctors eased if nurseries, pre-schools and childcare providers change their policies and stop sending children with the infection away.
Dr Maureen Baker, chairwoman of the RCGP, said she is sure nurseries mean well by forcing children to stay at home or requiring them to take antibiotics as a way to control infection.
But she said it would be incredibly helpful'' for current rules to change and has called on Ofsted to put steps in place to ensure correct clinical guidance is followed.
GP practices are being swamped with requests for appointments and antibiotics to treat minor conditions, including conjunctivitis, and these cases are clogging up the system, which leads to longer waiting times for patients whose needs might be more urgent,'' Dr Baker said.
Infective conjunctivitis is an unpleasant condition but antibiotics are not the answer in most cases - especially as it's a viral infection where antibiotics are ineffective.''
Research published earlier this year in the British Journal of General Practice revealed 86.7% of nursery schools across England, Scotland and Wales currently exclude children with conjunctivitis.
And 49.4% of these refused to admit them without a prescription for antibiotics.
The RCGP said GPs are carrying out more consultations than ever, with 370 million appointments carried out in a year - 60 million more compared with five years ago.
Current clinical guidance published by Public Health England advises that treatment for conjunctivitis is only appropriate and necessary in severe cases.
Also known as pink eye, the RCGP say infective conjunctivitis is a common condition usually caused by viruses, an allergic reaction or irritating substances coming into contact with the eyes.
They said most cases do not require antibiotics, that the condition usually clears up on its own within two weeks and can be treated with over-the- counter lubricant eye drops.