Sussex GPs swamped with swine flu calls

6:03pm Monday 20th July 2009

By Siobhan Ryan, Health Reporter

GP surgeries across Sussex have been swamped with calls from patients worried they have caught swine flu.

Health bosses say there has been a “significant” rise in enquiries at surgeries in the past week as the virus sweeps the county.

Supplies of the antiviral drug tamiflu being sent to collection points and pharmacists has run into the hundreds in the last seven days.

The points, where people can pick up prescriptions on behalf of a relative or friend, are at Hove Town Hall, Lewes Victoria Hospital and Bexhill Hospital More are expected to be set up over the next two days when a national phone and website service is launched.

People can be diagnosed and given access to drugs without the need to go to GPs.

A West Sussex Primary Care Trust spokeswoman said: “Surgeries are exceptionally busy and there has been a significant rise in calls.”

The increase comes after the decision earlier this month to treat patients showing signs of flu instead of testing all individual cases.

Four drivers and an engineer from Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company are recovering at home after being given antiviral treatment.

Managing director Roger French said: “It appears to be down to family connections more than anything else and there is no sign we have a problem within the company.

“We are being very vigilant in terms of hygiene and services have not been affected.”

Elm Grove Primary School, Stanford Infant School and Queen’s Park Primary School in Brighton have all reported people off with symptoms.

Those concerned about the risk of swine flu while taking communion have been reassured by church leaders.

Some churchgoers have spoken of their fears about sharing a drink from the cup of wine representing Christ's blood during the ceremony.

The Church of England's Chichester Diocese, which covers Sussex, said anyone worried about the ceremony could choose not to drink.

Churchgoers can choose to take “communion in one kind” which involves people taking only the bread, usually a wafer, used to represent Christ's body instead of both.

A Diocese spokesman said: “We want to reassure anyone who may be anxious about abstaining from this part of the ceremony that it is perfectly fine to do so.

An emergency planning team is meeting regularly to check the impact swine flu has had in Sussex.

Long-term plans could involve abandoning routine operations if there is a surge in demand but none of the county's hospitals have had to take that step so far.

Government figures have shown up to 1,600 people in Sussex could die after contracting swine flu over the coming months.