GPs have been offered huge sums to cover for junior doctors during industrial action, Pulse reports.
Offers of up to £200 per hour were made by London trusts to incentivise work last week.
New polling by Ipsos reveals that more than half of Britons (54%) support the strikes by junior doctors, an increase since last month.
Support comes in spite of some GP practices’ fears of disruption during strike week. Booking activity on LocumDeck has made March and April this year our busiest ever period on record, despite the Easter break.
The Telegraph reported on GP practices who shared warnings of disruption to routine appointments, such as Granville House Medical Centre in Chorley’s advice that “no pre-bookable appointments” would be available for the week beginning 10 April.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “General practice needs all the GPs it can get, and even outside of industrial action, we are already 5000 GPs short.
“It’s getting increasingly difficult to make an appointment with a GP, and regardless of whether or not there is industrial action, we should be encouraging patients wherever possible and safe to contact primary care first, rather than go straight to secondary care emergency departments.
“Practices are clearly doing all they can do. Their booking activity on LocumDeck has made March and April this year our busiest ever period on record, despite the Easter break.
“As well as reducing professional isolation amongst GP locums through our many NASGP Locum Chambers online forums, we’re also doing all we can to support practices as well.”