Massive fall in Portsmouth region GP appointments recorded in April

APPOINTMENTS at GP surgeries across Portsmouth fell by more than a third in April – with a more dramatic decline taking place in Fareham, Gosport, and Havant.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Across Fareham and Gosport, the area’s CCG recorded visits dropping by 52 per cent, with 42,000 fewer appointments compared with the previous year.

GP appointments massively declined in April, NHS data shows. Stock Photo: PAGP appointments massively declined in April, NHS data shows. Stock Photo: PA
GP appointments massively declined in April, NHS data shows. Stock Photo: PA

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.

Read More
Weekly Hampshire care home death toll drops to 15 - with none in Portsmouth

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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He 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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In 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.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.