Newquay’s GP surgeries are struggling to cope over the festive period due to the crisis in the NHS and “unprecedented demand”.

Newquay Health Centre in Thomas Road and Narrowcliff Surgery at Narrowcliff say they are finding it difficult to cope with the amount of GP appointments being requested.

Newquay Health Centre had to resort to disabling the online contact form at times on December 16 so the surgery could safely manage the incoming workload.

Narrowcliff Surgery said the waiting times for nursing appointments, compared to many other practices, is relatively short but added this level of service is no longer guaranteed.

Staff have been “feeling the strain” and extra administration staff are being recruited.

The surgery said staff are doing the best they can and urged people to be patient, polite and remember that the delays are not their fault as it was due to years of “chronic underfunding” of the NHS.

The high demand on Newquay’s GP surgeries follows the announcement on Tuesday, December 20 that Cornwall’s hospital and health care system is now operating at a critical incident level due to current operational pressures.

A high number of ambulances have had to wait outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and there has been a “surge” demand on the emergency department and Cornwall’s minor injury units.

The industrial action has also had an impact. Staff at Newquay Ambulance Station are among those in the region who went on strike on Wednesday, December 21 though nurses in Cornwall have not so far joined the industrial action.

A spokesman for Newquay Health Centre said: “We are struggling to manage the current demand for GP appointments. We must prioritise clinically urgent cases and ask that patients only contact us if urgent medical attention is required.”

Narrowcliff Surgery, in a letter to patients, said: “We are seeing unprecedented demand for our services with significantly more telephone calls compared with last year. Our staff are feeling the strain and although we are actively recruiting for more administrative staff it takes time and effort to do so and also train them in the required roles. 

“Since the pandemic we know that people are struggling with physical and mental health problems and many of these are more complex and require greater number of appointments. In addition, the amount of “unseen” work has increased and the team are spending many hours a day dealing with prescription requests, test results, letters and insurance forms etc. 

“Not all problems need to be dealt with on the day you contact us. We are currently using a triage system to ensure that those with the greatest clinical need are seen as a priority. However, we also receive many calls for minor illness such as coughs, colds and sore throats that do not need GP advice and will get better by themselves in time. 

“The volume of phone calls we receive has increased significantly. We have upgraded our IT system to allow you to contact us for routine advice and queries via an e-consult. We are also upgrading our website which will have lots of information regarding appointments, self-management and referrals. 

“We know that many of you are waiting an unacceptable length of time for hospital appointments. We share your frustration but unfortunately, we have no control over this.@

Patients are being asked to do their part to ease the strain on the health care services.

You can access advice from a pharmacist or via the NHS website, www.nhs.uk