GP Online have reported recently that the number of hay fever
sufferers who have visited their GP over the last couple of weeks has doubled
since the same time last year. But how
will GP practices cope, and do you really need to visit a GP if you are
suffering from hay fever?
Any kind of epidemic or seasonal illness such as the
Norovirus and hay fever will inevitably increase pressure on a GP
practice. Whilst many patients have a
genuine need to see a doctor, many may find that they can relieve their
symptoms by speaking to a pharmacist and taking over the counter
medicines. In the case of highly
contagious infections such as the Norovirus, it is usually recommended that
patients in fact stay away from their local GP practice, so as to prevent the
infection from spreading.
To cope with the increased demand from patients, GP
practices are turning to using GP locum agencies to try to ensure that as many
patients are seen as possible within the recommended timescales. Some practices may just need to hire GP
locums for a couple of weeks to cover extremely busy periods, but as the summer
approaches, many GPs will inevitably be wishing to take annual leave. This leaves a number of appointments which
are needed to be covered, so if you need to visit your GP this summer, you may
find that you will be seen by a locum.
Hay fever is caused by a person having an allergic reaction
to pollen, and different types of pollen are prevalent at different times of
the year. Mid-June does seem to see the
peak of hay fever due to the types of pollen which are in the atmosphere, and
weather forecasters have stated that the pollen count has been slightly higher
than usual for June 2014.
Common symptoms of hay fever include sneezing, runny or
blocked nose, itchy eyes, throat and ears plus a cough. Persistent symptoms can make you feel
miserable and become cumbersome, but if possible it’s best to keep away from
the GP’s surgery and instead persevere with over the counter remedies until the
pollen levels begin to die down.
Further details about locum GPs can be found at the Locum Select website.