- Every day 200,000 consultations are wasted on non-medical issues
- It comes as public satisfaction with GPs is at an all-time low.
- An NHS boss said some people called 999 up to 35 times a month.
One in five GP consultations are made by people who are lonely or seeking advice about debt, relationships or housing, a health services chief has revealed.
James Sanderson, director of community health for NHS England, said around 200,000 consultations a day are spent on these non-medical problems rather than treating sick patients.
His comments came after the NHS Confederation’s Health Beyond the Hospital conference in London heard that public satisfaction with GPs is at an all-time low.
Sanderson told the audience of health leaders: “When we look at general practice, at least 20 per cent of GP visits are for non-medical needs.
‘People visit their GP because they feel lonely, are socially isolated or have problems with debt, relationships or housing. Over a million appointments a day in general practice. “There are many people who face social problems.”
James Sanderson, director of community health for NHS England, said around 200,000 consultations a day are spent on these non-medical problems rather than treating sick patients.
Another NHS leader said many of these patients also frequently call 999 and described how they are redirected to different parts of the overstretched health service.
Jonathan Hammond-Williams, complex care leader at South West Ambulance Service, gave an example of patients calling up to 35 times a month.
He said: “Patients are going around in what I call the ‘referral washing machine’. It’s the ambulance service, 111, primary care, community trusts and emergency services. “The person is prescribed a lot of medication and they don’t really you get to what essentially the problem is, which is often something social and personal for them.’
Health Minister Helen Whately drew on her own experience of being in hospital when she told the conference that emergency rooms are full of elderly patients who should not be there.
He limped up to the podium to give his speech, having broken his ankle in a “nasty” road accident earlier this month.
In a Q&A afterwards, he said: ‘I also have a number of family members with various health problems at the moment, so I’ve spent quite a bit of time in hospitals.
“I think one of the things I’ve seen in all of this is how difficult it is for emergency departments with so many elderly, actually frail, patients that it’s not necessarily the right place for them.”
