GPs urge patients to book medical appointments to get care more quickly

As general practices continue to provide more appointments than ever before to meet high demand, GPs across Derby and Derbyshire are encouraging patients to ask about appointments with staff other than doctors when they call to book a consultation.

In January, general practices provided more than 583,000 appointments across Derby and Derbyshire, a rise of nearly 25% from 2021, despite a fall in the number of both doctors and nurses in primary care. 

Since 2021, the number of other clinical staff has increased by nearly a quarter, often providing patients with a way to receive specialised care without seeing a GP first. This could be good news for the 13% of Derby and Derbyshire patients who reported they were unable to book an appointment when they wanted in 2022. 

Many practices now have experts ranging from advanced clinical practitioners and physiotherapists to dietitians and clinical pharmacists, who can see patients without a GP referral and therefore provide advice more quickly.

Derbyshire GPs have been embracing new approaches to see and help more people, increasing the number of appointments compared with a year ago, and are keen for patients to understand the advantages of seeing someone other than a doctor.

Dr Drew Smith, a partner at Wilson St Surgery in Derby, said many patients needlessly wait to see a doctor for health concerns that could be dealt with more quickly and often more effectively by someone else: "It's very common for me to meet with a patient, and quickly realise that they should be speaking with one of our clinical pharmacists, an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, or one of the nurses. 

"These members of the wider clinical team can usually see someone more quickly and can often help the patient more quickly. As a GP, I have a lot of knowledge about managing and treating illness in general, but my colleagues often have more specialist knowledge than me within specific areas. 

"Like other areas of the healthcare service, general practices have high demand for appointments and we know it's often difficult to get an appointment with a doctor despite the increase in appointment availability because we have to prioritise the most urgent cases, such as possible cancer symptoms or signs of significant long-term conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, where, as doctors, we are best placed to meet the patient’s needs. Our reception team do a great job of spotting when a patient can be helped by someone else, and this is going to be the best option. 

"Patients can also ask about other options. Asking for an appointment with a nurse or pharmacist or an advanced clinical practitioner can get you seen more quickly." 

At Hannage Brook practice in the Derbyshire Dales town of Wirksworth, Dr Penny Blackwell said she had had excellent feedback from patients who were able to access care and advice more quickly through seeing the nursing team for long-term condition management.

"Honestly, our nursing team really are outstanding, especially for long-term conditions. They have expertise in specific areas that we as GPs lean on, and I know that for many patients the best option is to go straight to the nurses.

"Patients sing their praises, and it means that I can focus my attention on those patients who need my skills. We're a base for many different services: podiatry, pharmacist and pharmacy technician and first contact physiotherapy in particular. You don't always need a doctor to refer you to those services.

"Our reception team know what services we have and are trained specifically to identify when a patient can be go directly to them without a doctor getting involved. That gets the patient into the right hands more quickly."

Every practice differs in the specialist roles it provides, so patients should check their local practice website or ask about the best person to see when making a booking online or by phone.

The Joined Up Care Derbyshire website has a full list of the roles across general practice.