AS HEALTH care workers delivered the coronavirus booster rollout, fewer GP appointments were carried out in Dorset in December, figures show.
NHS Digital figures show 376,485 GP appointments were held across the NHS Dorset CCG area in December.
That was 16 per cent fewer than the month before, but 7 per cent more than the 350,370 which took place in December 2020.
Appointments remained above pre-pandemic levels at the end of last year – 362,350 sessions were held in December 2019.
NHS England said the most recent figures did not include vaccination appointments and walk-ins, with more than 6 million jabs delivered by primary care networks between December 8 and 31 alone.
Dr Forbes Watson, chairman of NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and local GP said: “The fact that general practice offered over 376,000 appointments to registered patients in one month demonstrates the huge demand we continue to find ourselves under.
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“I would like to pay credit to my colleagues in primary care throughout the county for their commitment and dedication, not just during the previous month but over the last two years as we continue to provide business as usual, whilst at the same time delivering lifesaving COVID-19 vaccinations and working under pressures we have never experienced before. For the last 2-3 weeks in December we were asked by the government and NHS to prioritise vaccinations to protect us all from the Omicron variant and I believe we are experiencing the benefits of that action now.
“Making the right choice when help is needed and choosing the most appropriate care can free up resources or appointments for people who may have a greater need.”
The NHS Digital figures also show that of the consultations held by Dorset GPs in December, 71 per cent were held face to face.
Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said the figures showed GP surgeries were managing to deliver "consistently high" numbers of appointments under pressures exacerbated by the pandemic.
He added: "The December figures bring the number of appointments made in 2021, when taking into account multiple mass vaccination drives that GPs and our teams have led, to an unprecedented 367 million.
"The fact that such huge numbers of GP appointments have been sustained throughout such a challenging time for the NHS is a testament to the dedication of GPs and our teams to delivering good, safe and appropriate patient care."
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