Behind the scenes as GPs face 'tidal wave of demand'

The phone lines open at Whitstable Medical Practice at 08:00 GMT sharp, and within ten minutes, there are 150 calls waiting for an appointment.

It is a stark illustration of the pressure that the NHS is under this winter, particularly in Kent, where East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust declared a major incident.

Whitstable Medical Practice runs at a relentless pace, as I spend a day watching staff try to meet a demand that shows no sign of easing.

They move quickly between reception desks, consultation rooms and clinical areas from the moment the doors open, and by mid-morning, the waiting areas are filling up. But this is not just a traditional GP surgery.

Whitstable Medical Practice is one of the NHS's trailblazer sites, designed to take pressure off hospitals by offering a much wider range of services in the community.

On site, patients can have X-rays, minor surgery and specialist clinics that would otherwise require a hospital visit.

Throughout the day, I see patients coming in for eye appointments, dermatology consultations and follow-up checks that, in another part of the country, might involve a long wait or a trip to an acute hospital.

The idea is simple. Treat people closer to home, more quickly and reduce the strain on overstretched emergency departments.

However, even with the expanded model, demand is overwhelming.

GP Alistair Headon tells me: "Even if we could offer appointments 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I know there would still be unmet demand."

He says he regularly does more than 12 hours a day in the clinic, completely aware that it will not be enough to see every patient who would like to see him.

Winter often presents a "tidal wave of demand", he adds.

As the morning progresses and patients begin to be seen on the GP side of the practice, the urgent treatment centre is also in full flow.

People who have become unwell or injured over the weekend present themselves for X-rays and assessments.

One of those is Tom McGuirk, who broke his arm playing football. I meet him as he begins to have his arm set in plaster.

McGuirk says he "managed to get an X-ray" within 30 minutes, acknowledging his good fortune.

"Without this kind of practice, I'd no doubt be still waiting in A&E to be seen," he tells me.

The pressure does not ease as the day goes on, with the centre ever busy until services end at 20:00.

By late afternoon, staff are already bracing themselves for the next day – fully expectant that phones will light up again as soon as the lines open.

What is happening in Whitstable reflects a wider picture across the South East this winter.

Hospital trusts are under intense strain, ambulances are queuing outside A&E departments and GP practices are stretched to their limits.

This centre shows how the NHS is trying to adapt and innovate but also underlines the harsh reality that sheer demand is testing these new models of care to breaking point.

Dr John Ribchester, director of strategy for the medical practice, meets me between appointments.

He tells me: "The NHS is under real pressure. We are now seeing more patients seen by fewer GPs and that adds to the pressure."

As I leave, patients are still arriving, and staff are still working diligently through their lists.

For them, the winter pressure is not a headline but relentless reality, every day of the week.

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