Leeds GP practice tells their patients it's 'impossible' now to safely meet demand

Allerton and Westerfield medical centre, serving patients in the Chapel Allerton and Chapeltown areas of the city, informed patients yesterday that despite working hard to meet demand it is now “impossible to safely do so.”

It comes as the entire health and care system in Leeds and around the country is currently under significant pressure as it faces one of the busiest and most challenging periods in living memory. Information provided by the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board in Leeds (ICB) revealed that in October there were 459,837 appointments across all Leeds practices with 345,906 (75 per cent) being face to face.

A spokesperson for the ICB, said: “Like all their NHS colleagues, GP practice staff across the city are working incredibly hard to continue to care safely for their patients. They are dealing with record numbers of calls and providing more appointments this year than before the pandemic. We appreciate that it can be very frustrating trying to make an appointment when phone lines are so busy and appointments are already taken by other patients. This is because your practice is prioritising those in most urgent need of care.”

Allerton and Westerfield medical centre told patients: “We share your frustrations at this situation but need to prioritise care for patients who are most clinically at risk. For now, we maintain the ability to book ahead but there are long waits for routine appointments.”

Those struggling with minor non-life threatening injuries are advised to visit the website 111.nhs.uk or call 111.