Massive fall in Portsmouth region GP appointments recorded in April
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NHS Digital data shows that patients booked in to see their doctor on 55,304 occasions in the NHS Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area in April.
This was down from 85,293 for the same month a year before – a 35 per cent drop.
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Hide AdAcross Fareham and Gosport, the area’s CCG recorded visits dropping by 52 per cent, with 42,000 fewer appointments compared with the previous year.
Data for the region covering Havant shows a 39 per cent decline, with 51,842 GP visits compared with 85,129.
Across England as a whole, 7.7 million fewer appointments were made compared with last year, a reduction of a third.
Residents should continue to attend any medical appointments unless they have been told not to do so, according to Portsmouth City Councillor Matthew Winnington, cabinet member for health, wellbeing and social care.
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Hide AdHe said: ‘We're aware that some health services have seen a decrease in people using them since the outbreak of Covid-19, with many people not wanting to detract doctors and nurses from dealing with the virus, or not visiting them due to worries about catching the illness.
‘The council has been working closely with NHS Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group to reassure residents that GPs remain able to support them with their health concerns.
‘We have also been supporting the national NHS 'Help Us, Help You' campaign, which promotes that if you need medical help, the NHS is still here for you and that you should continue to attend any medical appointments unless you've been told not to.’
People feeling unwell are increasingly receiving their GP’s advice over the phone – with 40 per cent of sessions in Portsmouth completed over the phone in April, significantly up from just 18 per cent a year previously.
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Hide AdIn Havant, 60 per cent of appointments occurred over the phone, up from just 24 per cent a year previously, while Fareham and Gosport saw phone appointments increase from 13 per cent to 38 per cent.
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