GP surgeries have told patients to wait until after doctors’ strikes if they want an appointment.
Junior doctors finish the first of two strikes on Saturday and walk out again on January 3.
AlamyJunior doctors have been on strike for three days this week[/caption]
Hospitals have borne the brunt of industrial action, with tens of thousands of appointments cancelled every day.
But GP surgeries, which also have training doctors on their staff, say they are struggling too.
Family clinics have asked people to wait until strikes are over, warned they will focus on urgent cases and cut working hours for online triage, trade magazine GP Online reported.
Forest Practice in Loughton, Essex, said on its website: “If you think your problem can be dealt with on a non-strike day, we’d be grateful if you could call back.”
Bexley Group Practice in Kent said: “We encourage you not to put your repeat prescription request in on these dates if you have enough supply to last you the Christmas period.”
Bacon Lane Surgery in Edgware, London, said: “Appointments will be available for urgent cases. However, routine problems and consultations will be delayed.”
Dennis Reed, of campaign group Silver Voices, said: “This restricted access to GPs shows how important it is for this long-running dispute to be settled before the January strikes.
“Negotiators on both sides should knuckle down over the Christmas break to agree a pay deal.”
Patients already find it difficult to see a GP and NHS figures show 50 per cent rate it “not easy” or “not at all easy” to get through on the phone in normal times.
A think-tank report this year found satisfaction with GP services is at rock bottom, with just 35 per cent happy with their family practice.
Louise Ansari, chief of Healthwatch England, said: “These strikes are concerning for patients already facing long waits for care, especially now we are in winter when demand will be higher.
“It is essential that both parties find a way forward to prevent the confidence of patients being undermined.”
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “This winter GPs and our teams are expecting to be working under significant pressure.
“We would always encourage patients to use NHS services responsibly and consider whether non-urgent or minor problems can be dealt with through self-care or other services.
“GP services will be available via either the routine service or out-of-hours.”