ShannonDoc, the out-of-hours GP service for non-emergency care operating in North Tipperary, Limerick and Clare says the out-of-hours service managed to provide 40% more GP appointments when compared to last year, with a significant portion of patients presenting with respiratory illnesses. The staffing roster for Christmas included a 30% increase in doctors compared to Christmas 2021. Patient calls to the service amounted to almost three times more than last year’s levels. On one day alone, over 12,500 inbound calls were made to the ShannonDoc switch board – equivalent to almost one month of calls in just one day. The service is currently seeking to recruit five additional triage nurses to support a faster response time for callers.
Between December 24th and 27th ShannonDoc provided 2,280 doctor consultations, up from 1,641 in 2021, representing a 41% increase across the Mid-West. Within that, Co. Clare saw a 49% increase, North Tipperary was up 41% and Limerick city and county was up 35%.
Of the total patients dealt with by ShannonDoc, 81% were categorised as being routine, with the remainder of patients prioritised as urgent. Calls in relation to respiratory illness and other essential areas including mental health calls, nursing home calls, palliative care visits, dental calls, Garda calls and verification of deaths all increased.
ShannonDoc says it remains very concerned about the winter period ahead and is urging it’s patients to only contact the service if they really need to and cannot safely wait to see tier own GP. Sick people are also recommended to visit the HSE website for advice in respect of routine illnesses.The site also known as “Under the Weather” can be accessed here
