GP leaders have condemned the “myth” that a lack of access to GPs is responsible for record ER waits blamed for causing hundreds of deaths every week.
A number of NHS groups have recently pointed out that their emergency departments are largely overwhelmed because people have nowhere else to go unless they can see a GP.
But in a document seen by The Mail on Sunday, GPs hit back, claiming the ER “is not overcrowded with patients who need to be seen by their GP” and that the service instead “has its own pressures”.
It highlights that less than 1 percent of emergency room patients should have visited their GP instead, and that GPs are booking more appointments than ever before.
GPs have defended themselves against claims that they are adding to the accident and emergency crisis
A&E units across the country are struggling to meet demand
The document forms part of a leaflet made available to GPs and produced by the North Staffordshire GP Federation, which represents 70 practices. Dr. Annamalai Veerappan, chairman of the group, says the intention is for members to share the information with their patients to clear up the record of harmful “myths”.
Last week’s figures from NHS England showed that more than half of all patients going to the ED were not seen within four hours – the worst waiting times on record. Those delays – combined with the worst ever ambulance response times – lead to 500 deaths a week, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
On several occasions, the college has blamed increasingly overcrowded emergency rooms for a lack of access to GPs. The Labor Party made similar claims.
DR Cat Anderson, a Staffordshire GP, said: “I saw a patient being told by a paramedic that the reason they had to wait so long in the ER was because ‘GPs were lazy and uncooperative’.
“This kind of language is downright shocking and creates a distorted image.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
