Fears Canberrans with serious conditions have been avoiding GPs

GP and practice owner Mel Deery said many patients, particularly the elderly, mistakenly believed they should stay away from general practices and emergency departments due to coronavirus.

She said her practices had seen some concerning examples of delayed treatment, including an elderly woman who only sought treatment days after a transient ischaemic attack.

It is considered an emergency and is a warning sign that a stroke is imminent.

In another case, a parent brought their child to the practice with a serious skin infection at a point the child was close to needing to be hospitalised.

Another patient came in with a large abdominal lump weeks after discovering it.

Dr Deery said the risk of death and hospitalisation from delaying medical appointments was currently much greater than the risk of dying from coronavirus.

"There are also lots of reports people aren't coming in after having chest pain," she said.

"That's concerning because people could be having silent attacks and not getting care."

She said she didn't notice any change in patient numbers until March 27, when bookings "fell off a cliff". GPs have reported about a 20 to 30 per cent decrease in bookings, she said.

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"Some people have decided they're not going to leave the house for anything," Dr Deery said.

She said patients with serious conditions had told her they would have come in sooner, had it not been for coronavirus fears.

Dr Deery, who owns YourGP@Crace, Lyneham and Denman, said her practices had also treated people with serious injuries who were avoiding the emergency department.

"For example a child with a large laceration on their leg," Dr Deery. "The parents were adamant they didn't want to go to hospital. We did what we could from the practice."

She said practices had social distancing and hygiene measures in place to prevent the spread of disease, while the Crace practice also had a dedicated respiratory assessment clinic where anyone with symptoms was directed.

Dr Deery said despite the downturn in the number of patients, there had been an increase in people seeking mental health treatment. She said common concerns ranged from adolescents not feeling connected, to adults struggling with extra stress from changed workplaces.

"Some people who are working from home find that work is all encompassing and it feels like it is taking over," she said.

"Some older workers are now having to use a lot more technology - that transition has been stressful and can make them feel a little bit inadequate."

One of the more positive side effects of the situation was a huge increase in the uptake of the flu vaccine. Dr Deery said this year, her practices had already given 60 per cent more shots than they had across all of 2019.

ACT deputy chief health officer Vanessa Johnston said people should not be afraid of catching COVID-19 at their GP, with no active cases in the territory and no evidence of community transmission.

"Our advice is that it is really important to stay in contact with your GP," she said.

"That is particularly true for Canberrans who have chronic care conditions.

"What we'd advise is to call ahead and see what might be the appropriate way to access that service - whether it's telehealth or face-to-face."

Dr Johnston said she was concerned the downturn may contribute to children missing key vaccinations.

"We don't want to see an uptick in vaccine-preventable conditions," she said.

Dr Deery said she welcomed the increase in telehealth and its addition to the medicare rebate scheme.

But she said GPs were concerned large corporations were taking advantage of its use.

She said those business models typically relied on quick patient turnover, with no time for preventative and longer-term health care.