Buxton GP highlights the stresses and pressures facing health professionals this winter

In just five days last week receptionists at Stewart Medical Centre dealt with more than 1,500 calls from patients and staff are working at their limits.

Graham Chipp, director of the North Derbyshire GP Federation as well as practice business manager for Buxton’s Stewart Medical Centre said: “It is well publicised the NHS is under huge, sustained pressure and Primary Care, as a key part of the NHS system, is feeling that pressure as much as anyone.

"If you look at last week, not only did we have hundreds of pre-booked appointments but we are getting 100 plus patients who need to be seen or spoken to by an emergency clinician that day.

"If we go off the guidelines every patient is getting a ten minute appointment that is a 16-hour work day.

"People in their jobs aren’t expected to work such long and demanding hours but as people are turning to their GPs before self-medicating so we are feeling a pressure in our jobs like we have never felt before.

"This is clearly an unmanageable and a potentially unsafe level so we feel we must make changes to improve this.”

Now Graham wants to educate the people of Buxton and the High Peak on where they can go to get treatments without coming to the surgery.

He said: “This isn’t about passing the buck and not seeing patients, this is about finding the best person to help in our extended team.

"Not every injury or illness needs to be seen by a GP, there are wonderfully trained people out there who can help."He explained Stewart Medical Centre, along with GP surgeries across the High Peak, are working more with specialist clinicians such as practice based pharmacists, community physios, social prescribers and mental health workers to help patients.

"But sadly in recent years – especially since Covid – I have seen patient’s expectations of GPs go up,” he said.

“People are asking more from us and thinking seeing anyone else is an inferior service but that really isn’t the case.

"And people demanding a doctor's appointment for something which could be discussed at a pharmacy put more stress on us and then we can’t deliver the best service.”

The surgery on Hartington Road has set opening hours, with core hours from 8am to 6.30pm being set by NHS England.

It also offers enhanced access on a Thursday evening till 8pm as well as appointments on Saturdays both at the surgery, and via Derbyshire Health United from 9am to 5pm.

Graham said: “Having set hours means there is a safe capacity as to the number of patients each clinician can see on any given day, which inevitably leads to waiting times to see some members of our team.

“I understand people’s frustrations when they ring up at 8am and there is mad scramble for appointments but come 10am the phone isn’t ringing but even if it did all the appointments have gone for the day.

“To improve our offering to patients we have introduced pre-bookable appointments which has gone down well.

"I know people have been taking their frustrations out on the reception team and that is not okay.

"They are not a barrier to stop you seeing a doctor, they also want you to get the best possible care and sometimes that is directing you to another service.”

Kirsten Bagshaw is the pharmacist at Peak Pharmacy, Scarsdale Place Buxton and she says her team is also feeling the mounting pressures.

"When it’s a weekend and the GP surgeries aren’t open the queue can be so long you can’t even see the front door.

"So people are coming to us but again people’s expectations are too high.

"My team who deals with the public every day are NVQ trained and can answer your questions but some only want to speak to the pharmacist as they think they are getting fobbed off otherwise.”In recent years the services offered at Peak Pharmacy and others across the borough have increased dramatically.

Kirsten said: “We now offer blood pressure testing and flu vaccinations as well as lending out 24-hour blood pressure monitoring equipment.

“This is on top of the services we already offer like treating minor ailments, infected insect bites, conjunctivitis, impetigo, urine infections and coughs and colds.

"And yet we are seeing more prescriptions coming over than ever before."Kirsten says this increase in demand but while facing supplier shortages for some medicines means some people are having to wait longer for prescriptions than usual.

She said: “So many customers think all we do is pick a box of medicine up, print the label and stick it on and then get angry with us when it is not done instantly.

"Prescriptions come through from various GP surgeries on an email type system so unless we go in and refresh the page we don’t have an updated list.

"Also it’s my job to make sure the prescription dosage seems right because doctors are tired and sometimes they make mistakes, also we are working on 600 prescriptions a morning and I don’t think people are aware of the volume we constantly deal with.”

Graham added: “We are all human, all trying to do the best we can to help you when you aren’t feeling your best. But please show patience to my team, other doctors surgeries, the pharmacies across the borough and other health care teams who are all here to support you."

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