A GP surgery has hit a crisis point due to staff sickness and is asking patients to only get in touch with urgent problems.

Coulby Medical Practice, on Cropton Way, said it was down to just two GP partners on Monday, April 11. In a public statement, it also said that Parkway Medical Centre was facing similar staffing issues.

A statement on Twitter said: “We regret to announce, because of sickness, we are at crisis levels of staffing this week, down to only two GP partners. Please bear with us and only contact the surgery if you feel your problem is urgent. Our GPs/ANPs will deal with all urgent problems after triage prioritisation.

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“Whilst we have informal crisis arrangements in place to cross-cover with our neighbouring GP, Parkway Medical Centre, unfortunately, our colleagues next door are in the same unfortunate crisis situation.”

The doctors’ surgery said it was doing everything possible to sort out the situation including trying to source locum GPs, however, stated that this was always “notoriously difficult” during the school holidays.

The medical practice has also contacted the Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to request support. At the end of March, Middlesbrough Council’s head of adult social care, Erik Scollay, said that the NHS was still under “remarkable pressure” due to Covid.

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He went on to add: “They [hospital trusts] are not seeing the rate of serious illness, that we saw earlier on in the pandemic, which is great, that is undoubtedly progress. But there are still people who are dying because of covid and we do seem to be in a really uncomfortable territory as far as I am concerned at the minute.

“As I go about my business I don’t see many people wearing masks in public spaces. We have got this really high level of circulation within our communities of what is, by any sensible estimates, a dangerous illness. So I am a little bit bewildered if I am honest.”

Reports from hospital trusts around the country in recent days have shone a light on the pressures facing the NHS. Last week, people attending hospitals in West Yorkshire and Harrogate were told not to visit emergency departments except in “genuine, life-threatening situations” due to a recent surge in patients that saw some having to wait for up to 12 hours.

The Tees Valley CCG has been contacted for comment.

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