Lincolnshire patients not getting to see GPs

Fewer Lincolnshire patients are seeing a GP at their medical appointments, but an NHS body says this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

About 35% of appointments in July were with a qualified doctor, the lowest for any Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) in England.

However, the NHS says that patients now have more choice and can see the professional which is most suited to their needs.

Millions of pounds have been spent over the last year recruiting specialists to Lincolnshire’s Primary Care Network.

A total of 377,093 appointments were carried out at GP surgeries across the county in July.

Of those, 133,639 patients were seen by a GP and around 226,000 were seen by other staff.

This could include nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, advanced practitioners mental health workers and other GP practice staff.

The details of a further 17,000 were not recorded.

The Lincolnshire ICP says that GP reception staff are trained to direct a patient towards the most appropriate service, which could be within another NHS service such as a pharmacy.

A spokesman for the ICP said: “The way GP practices provide services has changed dramatically over the last few years, in part due to Covid, but also as part of our long term plans, with the introduction of new technologies and specialist roles to improve access.

“Previously, patients had little choice but to see a GP, but now there are pharmacists, physios, paramedics, mental health link workers, and a whole range of other staff working in GP practices, so patients will be offered appointments with someone most appropriate to meet their health needs.”

Of the 377,000 appointments, around 260,000 were carried out face-to-face.

Another 97,000 were conducted over the phone, with the remaining taking place at patients’ homes or video calls.