We are getting a LOT of urgent requests for hayfever at the moment. This can cause very unpleasant symptoms and is hard to live with, especially when the pollen count is very high. However, this is a condition that you can self-manage or get help for from your local pharmacy.
The GPs will just advise the same over the counter treatments and we are discouraged from prescribing these by the NHS. So, for the vast majority of cases, there is no benefit from calling the GP, especially urgently.
In the last 2 weeks, 33 patients have had urgent appointments for hayfever (some asking for more than one appointment). This is a significant amount of demand which is better managed at home or by the pharmacist.
So please do avoid calling with hayfever as it means those with more severe urgent medical problems have to wait longer and have shorter appointments.