It comes as the NHS is bracing for a ‘quad-demic’

Greater Manchester is set to get 53,000 extra GP appointments as winter pressure mounts on the NHS.

The NHS is bracing for a ‘quad-demic’, with a 350% increase in flu cases and an 86% rise in norovirus cases in hospitals compared to this time last year. The huge increases also come with fears about rising Covid-19 and RSV levels in hospitals, according to new weekly figures released today.

This winter, NHS Greater Manchester says it is providing tens of thousands of additional GP appointments through ‘winter surge hubs’.

Introduced last year, the winter surge hubs aim to meet seasonal pressures to help GP practices across all ten areas of Greater Manchester, by providing additional appointments between November and March.

Winter weather, particularly cold air, can affect anyone with long-term lung illnesses, says the region’s NHS. During winter, people with lung conditions are much more likely to end up feeling unwell as seasonal triggers like cold weather, colds, coughs, flu, and damp can make it harder to breathe.

New weekly figures released today reveal that the NHS is facing unprecedented pressure this winter both in the community served by GPs and pharmacies, and in hospitals. On average, there were 1,099 people in hospital with flu every day last week, compared to 243 in the same week last year – the highest number of cases heading into winter for at least three years.

Record numbers of patients are in hospital for this time of year, with an average of 96,587 hospital beds occupied each day – more than at this point in any other year – with pressure expected to increase further in the coming weeks. There has also been ‘incredibly high’ increase in pressure on ambulance services.

Last week saw an average of 1,390 patients with Covid-19 in hospital beds each day, along with 142 children in hospital each day with RSV, and

756 patients with norovirus – an 86% increase from a year ago.

NHS Greater Manchester, which is responsible for health services across the city-region, says that as a result of this winter pressure it has funded for the second year in a row approximately 53,000 extra GP appointments through the winter surge hub schemes. As a result of the hubs last winter, NHS Greater Manchester said thousands of additional GP appointments took place November 2023 to March 2024 (3,400 a week) – by increasing the amount of face to face and telephone appointments available on evenings and weekends. The NHS says telephone appointments makes ‘it easier and more convenient for patients to get same-day help for their medical issues and illnesses that don’t require urgent care’, set to happen again this year.

Rob Bellingham, Chief Officer for Commissioning for NHS Greater Manchester said: “We recognise the additional pressures that winter brings, and we always want to do everything we can to support GP practices and the NHS during this really busy time of year. That’s why we are pleased to have been able to bring back the winter surge hubs, after their success last year.

“The additional support provided by the Hubs, combined with our Get To Know Where To Go campaign, means that we can make sure that people across the city-region get the care they need more quickly and closer to home when they really need it.

“We are grateful to all the GP providers and their teams whose hard work contributed to the success of the winter surge hubs last year and have made it possible to establish them again this winter.”

The winter surge hubs are running from November 2024 to March 2025. During this time, people should continue to contact their GP practice in their usual way to book GP appointments when they really need them, while also considering whether another service like their local pharmacy or calling NHS 111 may be better suited to helping them.