ONE of Stoke-on-Trent's largest medical practices has warned patients may lose out, because it is so busy coping with a steep climb in cases of suspected swine flu.

Pharmacists have reported similar rises in the number of patients contacting them, while officers running an emergency doctors' service say inquiry levels have shot up past expected numbers.

The Mayfield surgery, in Longton, has been swamped with 70 to 80 people suffering symptoms of the pandemic in the past week and issued around 50 prescriptions for the Tamiflu drug.

Now its GPs fear if the menace continues to rise at the same rate, some clinics to help other patients control long-term illnesses could be cancelled.

But the seven-doctor practice in Trentham Road praised its patients for acting responsibly by not panicking and following Government advice. They are helping an average 10 to 15 people a day with the figure twice rising to 30.

Partner Dr James McCarthy, pictured, said: "We are coping with this extra workload, but it is very stressful.

"With 12,500 patients here, the numbers are still relatively small but it adds to the work we are already doing.

"That will eventually mean something else may have to go and that could be some of our chronic disease clinics for conditions such as asthma.

"Things will be considerably worse when health staff start to come down with it."

Liz Gallagher, chief operating officer at North Staffs Urgent Care centre in Basford, said: "We have had significant numbers of people calling about swine flu, and are up on our normal inquiries.

"We are asking people not to come in as we are diagnosing swine flu on the phone."

Pharmacist Sean Woodward, from Meir Hay Pharmacy, one of the Tamiflu collection points, said: "We have seen a five-fold increase in the numbers of patients coming in for Tamiflu in recent days.

"We are experiencing volumes similar to those of the GP practices, but this is just the tip of the iceberg."

The Mayfield's surgery's figures were much higher than those issued by PCT officials, who said that "spotter" practices across the Potteries showed 40 per 100,000 of the population had last week called their doctors with symptoms; the equivalent of only 120 people for all of Stoke-on-Trent.

"Spotter" practices make detailed reports about the sort of symptoms they are seeing. From this, national figures are scaled up.

Public health director Dr Giri Rajaratnam said: "We will have an update tomorrow and we expect the numbers to have risen this week."

'Flu friends' help stop the spread of illness: Page 6.