Patients in Greater Manchester are waiting just under two weeks to get seen by their GP
Patients in Greater Manchester are being urged to use pharmacies for minor issues, as the pressure on GPs continues.
New stats from the National Pharmacy Association found the average waiting time for GP appointments is now 13 days.
And more than three-quarters of patients asked say access to NHS services has deteriorated in the last 12 months.
Dipesh is a community pharmacist.
“We can actually deal with a lot of things in house, so for example we had a lady in with a baby with oral thrush.
“The mother was really distressed, she wanted to go to A&E we said no, come in and speak to us and we were able to sort out the treatment for her.
“You don’t have to wait for an appointment necessarily and it takes some of the pressure off and it allows the GPs to see patients who urgently need seeing.
“I think the whole of the NHS is stretched and this is a relatively untapped resource.”
More than two-thirds say it’s harder to see a health care professional face-to-face compared to 12 months ago.