MANY GP surgeries across Southend are struggling to cope with the huge number of patients on their books.

As a result, some GPs have each ended up looking after many more patients than colleagues elsewhere in the country.

An Echo investigation has discovered in some cases there is just one GP for almost 2,000 patients – the national average is 1,350.

This means patients are having to wait far longer for appointments – as long as three weeks at some surgeries.

Patient Jay Page, 33 of Gordon Road, Southend, is registered at the town’s Queensway Surgery, which has 23,146 patients on its books.

She said: Queensway told me it had no appointments there for nearly three weeks.

“I will either have to go to work and risk making others sick, or wait three weeks and not get paid.

“Seriously, this mess needs to be sorted out. What on earth do I pay my taxes for, if I can’t even get a doctor’s appointment?”

Sue Phillips, another Queensway patient, said: “Being put on hold on the phone for a hour isn’t good when you are feeling unwell.”

Queensway’s 12 doctors are already working so hard, it no longer accepting new patients.

However, there are fears the problem there and elsewhere in the town could get worse.

Southend Clinical Commissioning Group says ten surgeries in the borough are run by a single GP. If they retire or decide to move on, their patients will have to be among a dwindling pool of available doctors.

Dr Krishna Chaturvedi, of the Southbourne Surgery, in Southbourne Grove, Westcliff, admitted it was a major headache for GPs, who had suffered more cuts than other parts of the NHS.

He added: “The demands of an ageing population is a big challenge, with demand and expectations high, but limited resources to work with. How can we look after people?

“About 90 per cent of health activity comes from GP surgeries, yet the extra money is going to other parts of the NHS.

“We have taken over a lot of work which used to be done in hospitals, and created a lot of savings, but we have got nothing back.”

The borough’s GP crisis is at its most severe in Shoebury, where each GP cares for nearly 2,000 people. The average number across Southend is 1,556.

Surgeries are increasingly offering online booking to make it easier to get an appointment without spending hours on the phone.

West Road surgery, in North Road, Westcliff, has 7,841 patients, cared for by five GPs and new has online booking.

However, patient Tina Noakes-Hindle, 45, of Jones Close, Westcliff, said: “They can only offer so many pre-bookable appointments. When they’re gone, you end up waiting a couple of weeks.

“The online booking service, where you can choose your appointment and which doctor you see, is very helpful.”

SURGERIES may be opening up at the weekend in Rochford and Castle Point to help patients get seen by a doctor – but it’s an approach Southend practices found did not work.

Southend Medical Centre, in London Road, got NHS funding to open at weekends during the winter to help with the usual increase in demand, brought about by cold weather.

Itwasbrought inonatrial basis, but not continued, because so few patients took it up, despite prominent advertising.

A spokesman for Southend Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The service last winter was offered by Southend Medical Centre and available toall patients across the borough. Despite heavy advertising, the service was not well used on Saturdays and Sundays so wasnot continued.”

Patients with nineteen practices in Rochford and Castle Point can now attend one of two surgeries whichareopenduringaweekends.

Last year’s Tory election manifesto promised nationwide sevendays- a-week GP services by 2020, but, given a national shortage qualified GPs, it is still unclear how this might be achieved, or funded.

Will weekend appointments help ease pressure?