“We are constantly working with our member GP practices and the ambition of all of this is to help them all to get through the winter pressures on general practice too. What we are able to do is to flex the service when the needs are greatest and we can provide the additional appointments when the pressure is there.”

This comes towards the end of a winter where hospitals throughout the country have struggled with flu patients. Eight per cent of available NHS general and acute adult hospital beds in the North East and North Cumbria were occupied by flu patients at one stage this winter.

One of the health professionals looking after patients is advanced nurse practitioner Anna Baines, who said amid an incredibly busy flu season, that a day before “it felt like we were treating every patient in England”. Anna added: “What we do is we treat people here and try to take away pressure from GPs and urgent and emergency care. It’s usually a full clinic here.

“We see people who might be experiencing an exacerbation of acute respiratory illness or coming in with a cough or cold. I think that because the hub is so accessible given the public transport links and being in the centre of Durham, people know they can get here and then they will be seen promptly.”

Local GP Dr Godwill James was on duty when ChronicleLive visited. He said: “Basically when it comes to people having respiratory infections we are in a very, very busy period of the year and we have had many many patients coming into our respiratory hub. What the hub means is we can see patients promptly.

“We have 15 minute appointments with them and the the result is usually a smiling face. We are always on our toes, given how busy it can be, but the main aim is to help make the patient better. One of my patients today was really pleased by the promptness of the service – she said she had arrived and been called almost immediately.

“And she said that she had been otherwise thinking about waiting in A&E for six hours or having to call the GP day after day…”

Chris Blease, who is retired and lives in Brandon, was one of Dr James’ patients on the day. “It was really good, quick and the doctor was excellent. Everyone has treated me very well – all power to the NHS.”

ICB medical director Dr Catherine Monaghan added: “The idea behind respiratory hubs in three-fold. One, it’s to provide extra capacity. Last winter we saw 35,000 people across a 12-week period. That’s patients getting the same-day care that they need. They’ll be seen and assessed by an appropriate healthcare professional who can make a diagnosis and then get them appropriate treatment.

“The second driver is around how busy and under-pressured A&E departments are over the winter period. Providing these extra appointments means patients can be treated and back at home freeing up A&E staff to look after the most acutely unwell patients.

“And the third part of this is that we know that respiratory illnesses spread very, very easily. The last thing we want is patients with respiratory symptoms sharing these viruses with other patients in GP waiting rooms or hospital A&E departments. So by doing this we stream them off.”

Patients can only attend respiratory hubs if they are referred – either by the NHS 111 telephone service, by the team at their GP surgery or when in A&E.

Source: Newcastle Chronicle