GPs in one area to open on Boxing Day to help reduce pressure on A&E
GP practices in one area of Scotland will run additional opening hours over the festive period, to help ‘improve access to urgent care’ and ‘relieve pressure’ on other NHS services, the local health board has said.
NHS Lanarkshire said that practices in its area will work additional hours on 26 December and 2 January, and on several Saturdays from 27 December through to the end of January, to help reduce ‘avoidable pressure on out-of-hours services and hospital emergency departments’.
GP practices offering additional hours will provide support for ‘urgent and reactive care needs’, helping patients who require advice, assessment or treatment that cannot safely wait until routine services resume, including face-to-face appointments, and telephone and video consultations.
South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership medical director Mark Russell said: ‘Winter places significant pressure on health and care services, particularly around public holidays.
‘Providing additional GP hours helps ensure patients can continue to access urgent care from primary care teams during these busy periods.
‘These additional hours support people to be seen and treated closer to home, while helping to reduce pressure on out-of-hours services and emergency departments.
‘We would encourage patients to plan ahead, use GP services appropriately, and follow advice on how to access care during the winter months.’
Lanarkshire GP Dr Mark Kirk said: ‘Our teams are working hard to make sure people with the most urgent health needs are seen quickly, and that everyone gets the right care from the right member of the practice team.
‘Many GP practices in Lanarkshire are also open on additional days over the festive public holidays to help keep our communities well during this busy time of year.’
Yesterday NHS health and care settings were urged to consider making mask wearing mandatory due to the ongoing respiratory pressures and the flu outbreak.
Meanwhile, an exclusive Pulse investigation found GPs in most areas of England will receive no extra funding to cope with winter pressures, as only nine ICBs have confirmed additional funding for general practice.
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READERS' COMMENTS [5]
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Just about says it all. Those old enough to recall; Xmas day was a working day once in Scotland until the early 60’s. That said this another “fop” to the 25/8 brigade for 23/6 money..
Never thought would say it but “chapeau” to my less senior colleagues regarding a fight just ensure the retoric isn’t personal wages just safe equitable decent service provision
I remember taking part in a similar scheme during covid lockdown and it was a nightmare. 111 directed all pts to the practice and we were overwhelmed while my friends in out-of-hours WhatsApped to say that they were staring at empty screens. There seemed to be no system in place to co-ordinate demand / availabillity.
if they are doing it free, they are throwing the profession under the bus. OOH should be paid at double normal time over and above expectation. With pension and NI thrown in. Anything else is a false economy and raising expectation.
Well, we used to do it, and it could be fun if well-planned.
Requirements and regulations are different now though, so could not just unlock the surgery as a lone-worker GP any more, and would have to hold the surgery at the Minor Injury Unit/A&E department, of course, to satisfy gov red tape now.
I certainly would expect Lanarkshire to pay a reasonable amount, given it should be antisocial hours pay all round.
And who is providing prescription-dispensingE services, since we can no longer supply drugs ourselves?
And it needs good planning and admin/triage to work efficiently.
Would actually be cheaper to emply a temp GP in A&E now wouldn’t it ?
Explain this to me like I’m 5, why not simply match OOH capacity to predicted demand and simply triage patients attending A&E inappropriately, there?