GPs using more phone appointments in Lancashire

In the 12 months up to February 2020, fewer than one in 10 patients was treated via a phone assessment in the Greater Preston CCG and Chorley and South Ribble CCG areas, and none were seen via video conference, according to figures from the BBC Shared Data Unit.

But the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) says that has been turned on its head following government guidance in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Seeing a GP face-to-face is now making up just seven per cent of all contact across surgeries nationally, RCGP’s chairman said, as he praised the profession’s “remarkable “response.

Charity Age UK has, however, urged doctors not to drop home visits and to seek out vulnerable patients “proactively”.

Prof Martin Marshall, chairman of RCGP, said around 40 per cent of patients would normally be triaged before booking an appointment.

Now all patients are initially assessed on the phone before booking either a call or video link with a doctor.

“Most of the consultations are taking place on the telephone rather than video link,” he said.

“People are pretty happy with doing assessments over the phone and they are proving effective. Who would have thought this 150-year-old technology would still be just as useful today?”

He said there were occasions where a video appointment was beneficial but phone calls have been used in around 90 per cent of cases.