A senior GP has given a list of conditions people should see their doctor about and others which they shouldn't.
The NHS is facing increasing pressure due to Covid, winter illnesses and the massive acceleration of the vaccine roll-out.
Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said there needs to be clear messaging to the public on what is a “necessary condition to look after” while GPs focus on the Covid-19 booster rollout.
He told Good Morning Britain: “We need to have very clear public messaging that helps the public to differentiate between what is urgent, what is a necessary condition to look after, and what can wait for a few weeks.
“That isn’t easy. I don’t think anybody’s pretending that.
“Let me be clear what kinds of things we’re talking about here which are urgent which do require general practice to focus on alongside the booster programme: so, if somebody potentially has an infection; if they have symptoms that might be cancer; if they have a long-term condition like diabetes that is poorly controlled; if they are young and maybe have a high temperature or if they’re vulnerable, perhaps if they’re elderly; mental health problems as well.
“If they have conditions like that, they need to come forward.
“If they have routine problems – a bit of an ache or a pain; a little bit of a rash if you’re known to have eczema; a cough and a cold; if you’ve got high blood pressure that’s well controlled – then that isn’t urgent, in comparison with general practices’ role in the programme.”
