SHANNONDOC dealt with the equivalent of one month’s average calls in just one day during an unprecedented demand for the out-of-hours GP service during Christmas. The Mid-West service for non-emergency care experienced a huge surge in patients contacting the service over the Christmas period. During the peak times ShannonDoc dealt with approximately one patient every minute. Over the four days during Christmas from December 24th to 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%. 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. A spokesperson stated the Christmas period is always ShannonDoc’s busiest, with additional doctors and nurses rostered to deal with the increase in patient volumes. This year, the service rostered more …
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