askmyGP During Very Busy Periods

The Christmas and New Year period is always one of the busiest times of year for the NHS.

In general practice, seasonal pressures increase the number of people who need help.

Respiratory illnesses like colds, flu and COVID increase in colder months. Germs pass more easily, and it’s harder for people, especially the elderly or vulnerable, to stay warm and well.

Three mid-week Bank Holidays mean we have less time and resources to deal with a higher number of requests.

Over the festive period, we will very likely ask patients to only submit urgent requests through askmyGP.

This helps our on-call Doctors prioritise people who need help most.

Remember, our main goal is to make sure the people who need help the most get it as quickly as possible.

You can read more about when and why we use ‘urgent only’ in our askmyGP FAQs.

Urgent Only?

But what exactly do we mean by urgent only?

It’s when you have a medical issue that needs to be looked at today.

This could be something new that’s come on suddenly (an acute condition) or a long-term problem (chronic illness) that has unexpectedly got worse.

The key questions to ask yourself are: Am I feeling much worse today than I was yesterday? Has something changed, making me need help today when I didn’t yesterday?

If the answer to these is ‘yes’, then your request is urgent, and we want to help you as soon as possible.

If the answer is less clear, then it may be best to wait for another time, or see if you can get help from a local Pharmacist, or get self-help advice through NHS 11 or the NHS App.

Community Pharmacists can help with common problems like earaches, sinusitis, sore throat or urinary tract infections (UTIs).