Topsham doctors reverse 'no routine service' decision

GP practice wanted to concentrate on booster jabs

An Exeter GP practice has reversed its decision to suspend routine services until the middle of January, after a health boss said their messaging to patients was "not accurate".

The surgeries in Topsham and Countess Wear told patients on Wednesday not to get in touch and book appointments until well into the new year, but quickly changed its mind following interventions by the area's councillor and the NHS group in charge.

Topsham Surgery and Glasshouse Medical Centre sent text messages to patients on Wednesday [15 December] which said: “…all routine GP services have been suspended until the second week in January to enable us to support delivery of the covid booster programme.”

They continued: “Due to reduced clinical capacity, please do not ring the surgery for any routine matters until the middle of January,” instead directing them to 111 or 999 in case of an emergency.

But following criticism, the message has now been altered, advising that “patients should continue to contact our GP practice for urgent health advice, but are urged to consider calling in the New Year if it can wait…”

It told patients to also consider help from “another service such as a pharmacy, to allow teams to prioritise delivery of the vaccination programme.”

The initial message suspending services for a month was branded “unreasonable” by Councillor Andrew Leadbetter (Conservative, Wearside & Topsham), who added: “At first sight I’m very unhappy with it.”

He subsequently raised the issue with Dr Paul Johnson of the NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who indicated to him that the original message by the surgeries was inaccurate.

Cllr Leadbetter said: “The whole point is we’re trying to ease pressure on our hospitals and if people can’t get in to see their GP, they are going to be turning up in A&E departments, so this doesn’t help that."

“I cannot believe that if somebody’s ill, that a doctor will not see them. And I wouldn’t mind if it was for a few days, but not for a whole month,” he added.

The NHS Devon CCG clarified its guidance to patients in a press release following the confusion, stating that patients should continue to contact their GP practice for urgent health advice.

Dr Johnson, clinical chair of the CCG added: “We are asking for people to be patient, as GPs implement these changes as soon as practicably possible.

“Cancer checks will continue to be prioritised. People who are concerned about symptoms which could be cancer should continue to contact their GP. This could include a new lump, blood in wee or poo, or a condition that isn’t getting any better.”