NHS officials reveal how many face-to-face appointments Sheffield GPs are having

Figures from the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board showed there were over 291,300 GP appointments in Sheffield during September – 69.2 per cent of which were face to face. They also revealed 26.3 per cent were carried out over the telephone.

Dr Zak McMurray, GP and NHS South Yorkshire medical director for Sheffield, said: “There is a lot happening in GP surgeries to improve the service for patients. All we ask of our patients is to please make sure they are kind and respectful to staff at their GP practice.

“We understand that when patients call their practice they are probably feeling unwell and may have to hold on the phone before they can speak to someone but this is because we are dealing with many enquiries and trying to get through them in the best way possible.

“We understand this can be frustrating but please keep in mind that our practice staff are just trying to help people so please treat them with kindness and respect. We should also say that negative behaviour only comes from a very small minority of people so we would like to thank all patients throughout Sheffield for their ongoing support.”

Integrated Care Board officials say since the pandemic, doctors have been operating with a greater emphasis on remote assessments. More face-to-face appointments were now available, but officials say many practices kept video and telephone consultations as they now have the technology.

Those needing face-to-face appointments or requesting one would still get one, but may have to wait longer in some cases. Officials said surgeries were working to cope with additional demand which includes bringing in more staff in different professional roles to help. Extra funding and support are also being shared across South Yorkshire to make even more appointments available.

A spokesman said urgent appointments are always available, and people will be seen urgently if needed. GP practices have also recently launched a new enhanced out of hours service which means patients will be able to see a GP, nurse or other health professional on an evening or weekend at a time which is convenient for them.