GPs in England are being told to see more patients face-to-face

Ministers have set up a £250m emergency winter rescue package so GP surgeries can take on more temporary staff.It comes amid mounting criticism about the fall in face-to-face appointments since the start of the pandemic.Lack of access to GPs has been cited as a key factor in growing pressures on A&Es.In September a quarter of patients who came to A&E in England waited longer than four hours for treatment.That is the worst performance since 2004, when the four-hour target was brought in. Performance in the rest of the UK is even worse with four in 10 patients in Northern Ireland waiting over four hours, according to latest data. In England those who then went on to be admitted on to a ward also faced record-long waits for a bed, so-called "trolley waits" - they tend to be the most seriously-ill and frail patients.

Of the 386,000 who were admitted, more than a quarter waited over four hours for a bed to become free. And more than 5,000 had to wait over 12 hours.

The £250m funding for GPs is part of the extra £5bn Covid fund announced last month to help the NHS through to the end of the year, and comes on top of the £12bn set aside for GP services this year.Alongside locum doctors - doctors who stand in for others temporarily - GP practices will be able to use the money to recruit other temporary staff such as physios and podiatrists.Pharmacists are also being encouraged to see people with minor illness to relieve the pressure on GPs.

Face-to-face GP visits still near lockdown levels

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the new GP rescue package would help relieve pressure on the whole system.Only 58% of patients were seen face-to-face in August - the first full month following the ending of restrictions.That compares with 54% in January and more than 80% before the pandemic.Patients have also complained of long waits on phone lines to book an appointment.

'GP would not see my 84-year-old mother in person'

Kevin Fogarty said his 84-year-old mother was initially refused face-to-face contact with a GP, despite having an infection in her leg following a biopsy."She had not been seen for two years. However, an infection developed in the wound but the GP still wouldn't see her. We had to put pressure on them."Mr Fogarty, 60, said the practice in Somerset eventually agreed to see her in person and she is now getting home visits from a nurse to tend to her wound."GPs seem to be the only group not getting back to normal services, while the likes of shop workers and everyone else are getting on with it."Telephone and video calls are helpful as an initial consult, but the GP must see the patient should they insist or there is a requirement."

Alongside the extra money, social distancing rules are also expected to be relaxed in GP surgeries and responsibility for signing fitness-to-work and fitness-to-drive certificates will be able to be passed on to other staff.Mr Javid said: "I'm determined to ensure patients can see their GP in the way they want, no matter where they live."Our new plan provides general practice teams with investment and targeted support. This will tackle underperformance, taking pressure off staff so they can spend more time with patients and increase the number of face-to-face appointments."GP surgeries will be named in league tables if they are judged to have failed to provide an appropriate level of "access".

GP plan will not help - doctors' leaders

Media caption, Pandemic healthcare: 'Most GPs are probably working 12 to 14 hour days at least.'But Dr Richard Vautrey, of the British Medical Association, said he was "hugely dismayed" with the package. "It offers very little and shows a government out of touch with the scale of the crisis on the ground."He said patients would "continue to suffer" and find it harder to book appointments."It is disappointing to see there is no end in sight to the preoccupation with face-to-face appointments."He said in-person appointments were still a key feature of GP care but the pandemic had proven phone or video consultations were "entirely appropriate and appreciated" by many.The rescue package comes amid the government's ongoing struggle to increase the number of GPs.