“Sid Valley Practice is under ‘unprecedented pressure’, caused by doctors leaving during a national shortage of GPs.”
It is more difficult to see a GP at the Sid Valley Practice than the national average, according to latest data.
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How easy is it to see a doctor in Sidmouth? Sid Valley Practice
Another GP at the practice has left, which has consequences for waiting times:
Sadly, Dr Hannabuss is leaving Sid Valley Practice Wednesday 7th Dec 2022. You will be given a named GP, however due to unprecedented pressures at this current time, we cannot guarantee an appointment will always be offered with your named GP. We thank you for your patience and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Dr Sarah Hannabuss Leaving Sid Valley Practice – Sid Valley Practice
It certainly is a long-term problem, as reported in the summer:
Sid Valley Practice is under ‘unprecedented pressure’, caused by four doctors leaving during a national shortage of GPs. Three of the vacancies have been advertised, locally and nationally, for eight months, but attracted no applicants. The fourth GP, Dr James Kabza, has only recently given notice. The practice, based at The Beacon Medical Centre, says patients may have to wait longer for routine appointments, as the remaining GP Partners cope with double the number of patients they had a year ago, and the other clinical and admin staff also struggle with a much heavier workload. Medical practice hit by national GP shortage | Sidmouth Herald
The NHS has just released data showing how well GP practices are managing: NHS Digital publishes new primary care statistics: statistical press release – NDRS
This is what the Herald has to say:
Surgeries in large towns in England have a higher number of patients per GP than those in cities or small built-up areas, while there is a sharp difference between places with high and low levels of deprivation, analysis shows. South-west England has the lowest number of patients per fully qualified doctor while London has the highest – although all regions have seen a “steady rise” in recent years. Large towns have more patients per GP than cities, analysis shows | Sidmouth Herald
Cornwall Live gives more analysis:
Fewer than three quarters of GP appointments were face-to-face last month, according to new data released by the NHS. The new figures, which cover all practices across England, are an attempt to improve transparency so that patients can see how their practice compares to others. They will be released monthly. Cornwall’s worst GP practices and best for getting appointments revealed – Cornwall Live
The Trinity Mirror group have provided a tool to see how individual practices are doing: https://trinitymirrordataunit.com/preview/code_appointments.html
These are the results for the Sid Valley Practice – which show that more patients than the national average see their GP face-to-face (which might indicate a lack of virtual appointments available) – but the figures show that the practice is performing under the national average in all the other parameters:
(You can use it here)