'GPs must meet more patients to stop ambulances becoming taxis'
A West Country MP is calling on doctors to scale back the restrictions imposed because of the pandemic more quickly - and see more patients in person.
Last updated 10th Nov 2021
The MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset says the current difficulties in seeing a GP in person has resulted in 'using ambulances like taxis' - putting pressure on other parts of the health service.
Ian Liddell-Grainger said: "People are phoning their surgeries with minor problems, having a remote consultation with their GP then being told to wait at home for an ambulance to take them to hospital for attention.
"In a very large number of cases these patients are walking wounded who are quite capable of making their own way to hospital either by private or public transport.
“In one instance an ambulance crew was even dispatched to collect someone who had merely broken a finger – the previous day.”
He says with a significant proportion of the population now vaccinated 'it is time to start scaling back the anti-covid precautions most doctors’ surgeries put in place last year'.
He is now urging those who've struggled to be seen to report it to him so he can present evidence to Government health bosses.
Mr Liddell-Grainger added: "Since the pandemic started most surgeries have been operating a telephone triage and consultation system as GPs have avoided face-to-face contact.
"I have been hearing evidence from a paramedic about the additional strain this is placing on the ambulance service because some GPs appear to be using ambulances like taxis.
Mr Liddell-Grainger said complaints about the lack of direct access to GPs were now flooding his mailbox.
“It may well suit the GPs not to be bothered by patients but rarely have I encountered such levels of anger and frustration as this situation is creating,” he said.
“I am quite literally being inundated by approaches from people who aren’t happy with being triaged down the phone or having their problems dealt with remotely and just want to get in to see their GP – as they always have.
“This emergency system served the country well but now we have to get back to normal. We cannot continue with situations such as that which developed recently at one major hospital in the southwest where 24 ambulances were waiting to offload patients and it was taking an average of more than three hours to process each one.
“I am inviting any constituent of mine who is experiencing difficulties seeing their GP to provide me with the details.
“Everything will be treated in the strictest confidence but the evidence will enable me to make out the strongest possible case for the Department of Health and Social Care stepping in to end this farce.”
We have approached the Department of Health and Social Care and South Western Ambulance Service for a specific response, which is yet to be issued, but we put Mr Liddell-Grainger's comments to a Bristol GP, who said she was very disappointed.
"With all due respect to Mr Liddell-Grainger I think he has completely, either deliberately or just through not understanding the system, missed the point about what the cause of our current situation is," Doctor Lucy Pocock said.
"The facts that I would like to come back as a counter to his comments are, one, that GPs across the country are consulting with more patients now, than we did pre pandemic every day, and that's with a shrinking work force."
Dr Pocock adds that a promise from the government to recruit 6,000 more GPs has so far not been fulfilled.
She also said Mr Liddell-Grainger's suggestion ambulances are being used like taxis is "ridiculous".
"If paramedics attend people in their homes who don't require taking to hospital, they do not take them to hospital, so the queues outside A&E departments are not queues of ambulances containing people that don't require hospital treatment, all of those people are seriously unwell...
"I think what he's doing is deflecting from the real issue here, is that the government has failed to tackle a crisis in social care and an increased difficulty (in accessing) community services, and that's what the real problem is with this situation.
"Ambulances are queuing up outside A&E because patients can't be discharged at the back door."
You can read more about Dr Pocock's thoughts here.
Last month the NHS, working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, published a blueprint for improving access to GP appointments for patients.
It said: "Surgeries will be provided with additional funding to boost their capacity to increase the proportion of appointments delivered face to face, as part of a major drive to support general practice and level up performance, including additional efforts to tackle abuse against staff.
"The measures, including a £250 million winter access fund from NHS England, will enable GP practices to improve availability so that patients who need care can get it, often on the same day if needed.
"The investment will fund locums and support from other health professionals such as physiotherapists and podiatrists, with a focus on increasing capacity to boost urgent same-day care. This is in addition to £270 million invested over the previous 11 months to expand capacity and support GPs."