THE scale of change required at GP surgeries to continue to support patients during coronavirus has been highlighted by new data.

In the 12 months up to February this year, more than 78 per cent of appointments in Southampton were in person, with just one in every 500 appointments using video link.

Across the West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area, more than three quarters of appointments were face-to-face over the same period.

However, the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) says that has been turned on its head following government guidance, while Southampton and West Hampshire CCGs say surgeries have implemented changes due to the virus.

Nationally, face-to-face contact with a GP is now making up seven per cent of all contact, RCGP’s chairman professor Martin Marshall said.

He said around 40 per cent of patients would normally be triaged before booking an appointment.

Now all patients are initially assessed on the phone before booking either a call or video link with a doctor.

“Most of the consultations are taking place on the telephone,” he said.

“People are pretty happy with doing assessments over the phone and they are proving effective. Who would have thought this 150-year-old technology would still be just as useful today?”

He said there were occasions where a video appointment was beneficial, particularly when assessing skin rashes.

But with people able to email in pictures of the affected area, he said phone calls have been used in around 90 per cent of cases.

Southampton and West Hampshire CCG both provided the same statement when contacted.

An NHS spokesperson said: “Changes in the way GP surgeries are run are being rolled out across Hampshire. Some groups of surgeries are working together and splitting patient care across different sites, meaning some will see patients with suspected or confirmed Covid-19, and others aim to stay virus-free.

“To limit the spread of Covid-19, we need to reduce the number of people who need to visit their practice by using telephone appointments and video consultations. That helps us to give people the care they need, safely.

“When people contact their surgery they will receive an initial assessment through e-consult or by telephone, by a trained clinician. Any patient assessed as requiring a face-to-face appointment, will be seen at an appropriate surgery, set up to meet their needs.