GP surgeries to open on Boxing Day to keep flu patients away from hospital
Health chiefs have taken the unusual move of opening on traditional festive bank holidays to cope with demand amid flu outbreak
GP surgeries in one area of Scotland will open on Boxing Day to minimise the impact of the flu outbreak on hospitals amid a rise in patients attending A&E with symptoms.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said there are “higher numbers of people attending A&E departments” during the current flu outbreak. His comments came as the latest weekly figures showed waiting times in Scotland’s A&E departments have worsened.
Now, GP practices across NHS Lanarkshire are set to run additional opening hours over the festive holidays to improve access to urgent care.
Many will open on the traditional holidays of December 26 and January 2 and on Saturday from December 27 through to January 31.
The increased opening hours at surgeries will help patients receive the “right care in the right place” while reducing avoidable pressures on out-of-hours services and hospital emergency departments, NHS Lanarkshire said.
Mark Russell, medical director at South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Winter places significant pressure on health and care services, particularly around public holidays. Providing additional GP hours helps ensure patients can continue to access urgent care from primary care teams during these busy periods.
“These additional hours support people to be seen and treated closer to home, while helping to reduce pressure on out-of-hours services and emergency departments. We would encourage patients to plan ahead, use GP services appropriately, and follow advice on how to access care during the winter months.”
Last week, Public Health Scotland said laboratory-confirmed flu cases increased by 24 per cent to 2,331 in the past week, while hospital admissions rose by 15 per cent, from 860 to 986. New figures will be published by Health Protection Scotland on Thursday.
Mr Gray said that high numbers of flu cases were putting “additional pressure” on the NHS as new figures showed more than two-fifths of patients in accident and emergency waited for longer than the target time of four hours.
He said: “Our A&E departments are facing sustained pressure, resulting in current A&E performance below the levels we all wish to see.
“We are seeing higher numbers of people attending A&E departments and higher hospital admissions with flu compared to this time last year, which is adding additional pressure to the system.”
He urged people to get vaccinated against flu if possible, saying: “Vaccination remains the best protection against winter flu – we encourage everyone who is eligible to come get protected.”
Mr Gray stressed the current situation is “not unique to Scotland”, adding all other UK nations are “experiencing similar pressures”.
Of the 27,866 patients who went to accident and emergency in the first week of December, 59.2% were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
This was the lowest figure since the last full week of December 2024, when 58.9% of patients were dealt with inside the target time.
The latest figure is also down from 61.2% the previous week, and below the 64.7% weekly average that was recorded in 2024.
Performance continues to be significantly below the Scottish Government’s target of having 95% of patients admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP (Conservative), shadow health and social care secretary, said: “With a brutal wave of flu hammering our health service, the situation is only going to get worse.”
Mr Gray said the Scottish Government was working closely with health boards to ensure that they have the support in place to cope with peaks in demand.
“We are investing £200 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow, and minimise delayed discharges,” he added.
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