A Liverpool GP is worried about the future as the NHS battles to meet 'unrealistic targets'.
GP practices have been put under increased strain during the pandemic and one doctor has warned about the impact the new booster programme could have.
Dr Rob Barnett has been a GP for over 30 years and he said he is worried about the future in Liverpool as the country continues in its fight against the virus.
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Dr Barnett, who is also deputy chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) North West Committee, said his practice on Greenbank Road is currently seeing a workload increase up by 30%.
He told the ECHO: "The workload is different and the type of work we are dealing with. We've got email and telephone consultations and seeing patients face to face where necessary, sometimes all three.
"Looking at the number of consultations, we are up 30% compared to the same time last year. Our workload currently is equivalent to the middle of January.
"In my own practice we're having to put on additional sessions to try and keep up with the workload as we try and deal with things that day, which is problematic as well.
"This pressure is exacerbated by a loss of doctors. There used to be a large pool of locum doctors and we haven't got that luxury anymore, for a number of reasons.
"Doctors in their early 60s are choosing to do less or even leave so we are having to backfill them. Then to complicate matters further, doctors are human, they have families and they too have been subjected to the same rules as everyone else.
"Certainly with Omicron, doctors still have to self isolate if they are a contact."
Dr Barnett said he is worried about the workload on top of the vaccination programme.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that booster jabs will be offered to everyone aged over 18 in England by the end of the month - a month earlier than planned.
The doctor said the only way this will work is by vaccinating at weekends and in the evening which is a 'problem as staff need time off'.
He went on to say his staff are 'knackered' and this is 'stretching everyone to the limit'.
Dr Barnett added: "My practice is one of the sites at the moment offering vaccines at weekends. As we move through December, despite promising everyone they would have time off between Christmas and New Year, I very much suspect we will find ourselves open to ensure patients are vaccinated.
"It's an impossible challenge, it isn't about throwing money, it's about throwing people at it. We haven't got the people. When he vaccination campaign started, people were furloughed and deployed elsewhere but as people got back to normal, they haven't got the time to be part of it."
In Liverpool, Dr Barnett said around 150,000 people over the age of 12 are still yet to have a single dose of the vaccine which will have an overall effect on the workload and how the virus spreads.
He went on to say there are many cases where people come forward for the vaccine when someone they are close to caught covid and became seriously ill which is 'sad' as it could have had a 'different outcome'.
The doctor, who lost his own sister to covid back in April 2020 said one of the difficult things to deal with is people not following the rules, with his own staff facing a tidal wave of abuse.
He said: "We ask staff to ensure patients coming to the building are wearing masks and they suffer abuse, people on the phone wanting to speak to a doctor now. Even the vaccination campaign, sending texts to patients inviting them and we got abusive texts back.
"Staff are just doing their jobs, they come to work to do a good job, on the frontline. They are trying their best in very difficult circumstances."
The doctor told the ECHO he is "worried about the future in Liverpool" and urges people in the region to 'seriously think' about getting their vaccine.
Those who have had two doses should 'come forward' for their booster which could protect them against severe illness.
He said: "I'd encourage people to respect others and to wear masks when in enclosed environments and to not mix inappropriately with others indoors.
"Make sure if you are meeting with others it's in well ventilated places. And be tolerant, we have all got to support each other through this."
When the ECHO spoke to Dr Barnett on Monday afternoon, he said his morning had already been 'extremely busy' with the afternoon slots 'filling up quickly', with four GPs working 'tirelessly' that day.
He said: "One gets on with things. As a GP I'm used to working under pressure but these have been difficult times.
"One big problem has been mixed messaging from the Government. There's been a lot of bad press against GPs when actually, there have been long standing problems within the NHS and to accuse GPs of not working, when we've probably been working harder than ever, is unforgivable.
"In September, the workload we were experiencing was like a December, it's been difficult for us all to cope with."
Dr Barnett said his surgery on Greenbank Road, despite the pressures, are continuing to see patients when they need to - but this increased demand is having a knock on effect on secondary care services such as hospitals.
He said: "If you're working with a hospital bed base that is always at full capacity, it can't cope when you have a sudden influx of patients with a virus like Covid-19.
"This has a knock on effect on procedures, waiting times go up and patients are unwell for longer meaning A&E services get clogged up. We have millions on waiting lists, meaning patients with ongoing conditions haven't been treated within secondary care.
"When patients who are seriously ill need to get to hospital, we can't get them there which means it increases our workload.
"I've heard a lot about patients struggling to get hold of their GP which I think is partly due to not enough GPs in the system. We are only managing to do what we are doing because our doctors are doing more sessions, but that isn't always possible.
"Doctors here are doing six sessions a week, they could step that up and do more but it will have a toll somewhere else. It's about trying to get that balance right.
"Different practices work in different ways. Some say the only access is via email but not everyone has access. We do need to make sure what we are asking of patients is reasonable.
"We can't have waiting rooms packed as they may have been pre pandemic and it does cause problems.
"It's a problem I haven't got the answer to. I don't think compulsory vaccination is the way to go about things but the Government has been slow to do things."
Dr Barnett added: "The new hospital in Liverpool yet to be opened has fewer beds than the existing hospital and the existing hospital is struggling to cope currently.
"In 2015, there were talks about needing 5,000 more GPs, by the time we got to 2020, to reach that target we needed 6,700 GPs, the gap is widening.
"It's a real problem. When I became a GP, doctors in their 70s were told to retire, now, those in their 60s are being asked to stay. It's a complete change."
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