By Marjory Inglis, health reporter

ALMOST 4000 people sought help at primary care emergency centres in Tayside during the festive period when GP surgeries were closed.

However, that was more than 800 patients fewer than the shutdown period last year and emergency centres were markedly quieter this year.

Dr Joyce Meikle, a part-time GP in Dundee and medical director for NHS Tayside’s out-of-hours service, believed one explanation was the way the holidays fell this year with surgeries opening on the Mondays before Christmas and Hogmanay.

Last year surgeries closed for four consecutive days at Christmas and again at New Year when there was a virulent respiratory virus spreading through the population.

“This year attendances are down across Scotland,” said Dr Meikle.

“It’s not just ourselves. I think there are two reasons for that. One, we had Monday in between the weekend and the public holidays so we were not worrying about having four days before we could see our GPs so I think that made a difference.

“Secondly, there has not been the same amount of flu and viral illnesses around which we had last year.

The out-of-hours primary care emergency centre in Dundee is at Wallacetown Health Centre, while there is a similar centre in Perth Royal Infirmary.

Over the shutdown days on December 22-23 and 25-26 the out-of-hours service saw 1776 people, roughly 350 people down on the previous year.

During December 29-30 and January 1-2, the service saw 1939 patients, just over 500 fewer patients than last year.

Dr Meikle also praised the public who heeded requests to be prepared for the festive shutdown by ensuring medication and repeat prescriptions were ordered in good time.