TENS of thousands fewer than expected GP appointments were recorded in east Berkshire in April, in a sign Covid-19 is putting people off trips to the doctor.

The Royal College of GPs has urged patients to seek help if they need it, and said surgeries must have adequate resources to cope with a predicted increase in demand as the lockdown eases.

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But the NHS says changes in how practices operate during the pandemic may have affected the figures, with remote sessions underreported.

NHS Digital data shows that patients booked in to see their doctor on 108,482 occasions in the NHS East Berkshire CCG area in April.

This was down from 154,776 for the same month a year before – a 30 per cent drop.

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The decrease was similar to that across England as a whole, where 7.7 million fewer appointments were made in April than 12 months previously, a reduction of a third.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the RCGP, said people may be worried about overburdening NHS services during the coronavirus crisis, or contracting the virus themselves.

“However, if anyone is seriously ill or concerned about their health, we’d strongly urge them to contact their GP practice or 111 – and in an emergency situation, call 999,” he added.

“The reality is unmanaged or untreated conditions may not go away and may get worse and this could cause serious consequences.”

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In east Berkshire, 62 per cent of sessions were logged as having been completed over the phone in April, significantly up from just 19% a year previously.

The NHS said the drop-off in recorded appointments does not necessarily mean GPs are seeing fewer patients.

It said practices are likely to be operating differently in response to the pandemic, including the use of more list appointments, in which contact with several patients is only counted once, while online and video sessions “may also not be routinely captured”.

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Raj Patel, deputy medical director of primary care at NHS England, said: “Even during these unprecedented times, if people need help from a family doctor they are able to get it.

“Our GPs are quickly adapting to new technology – including phone and video consultations – to continue providing care in a different way.”