GP body launches flu guidance

The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) has issued guidance to its members in preparation for a nationwide flu pandemic.

Included in the guidance document, jointly produced with the British Medical Association (BMA), are suggestions that "command and control arrangements" be put in place to deal with the exceptional circumstances.

The document also recommends that practices "buddy up" with neighbouring facilities to pool resources and work to greater efficiency to deal with the strain of higher demand for their services.

Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GP Committee, said: "We've seen over Christmas how seasonal winter pressures put strain on the health service but this is in a situation where the system is still operating on a normal basis.

"During a pandemic the NHS would have to work differently - it's a major health emergency and as such requires a totally different way of helping patients. Family doctors need to be prepared for this and this guidance has been produced to help them with their planning."

The research behind the document suggests that during the peak of a pandemic the average GP surgery could see an additional 186 cases of influenza each week.