Dr Kerri Neylon is Deputy Medical Director for Primary Care across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Here she explains how GPs are operating in the context of COVID-19
Across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) there are 234 GP practices. Practices come in all shapes and sizes – some provide care for 2,000 patients and some more than 15,000 patients. On any given week, more than 115,000 appointments take place in General Practice within NHSGGC.
One in three of those appointments is face-to-face, the remaining two-thirds comprising telephone and video consultations. For an average-sized practice this is around 100 appointments a day. On top of that, practice staff respond to several hundred calls from patients each day, with around 10 per cent of the entire population of the health board area (1.2 million) in contact with their GP surgery on any given week.
These stats reflect the extreme challenges practices find themselves facing and how practices have had to adapt to ensure they continue delivering a service which balances the needs of patients against what is physically possible under current circumstances.
GPs know how hard it has been for patients throughout this pandemic. People are worried and anxious about their care and whether they’ll be seen. While we cannot promise a return to the old model of care, we can provide assurance that anyone who needs a face-to-face appointment within NHSGGC, will receive one.
The new systems have been implemented for that very reason, and to allow other patients to continue to be seen via telephone or virtual appointments – meaning we can look after patients more efficiently and safely. Prioritising patients based on clinical need is not a new practice, but the pandemic has shone a light on it. There’s no blanket approach and we assess the needs of the patients individually. A phone or video call is often an efficient way to identify if something is urgent and many things can be dealt with without a further appointment. We also know remote consultations suit many patients as they don’t have to travel to the practice. We continue to tell all patients that unless life-threatening, always speak to your GP practice first. It has access to your records and medical history and can make ongoing arrangements for further care and follow up.
Many people are also asking the question that as cases of Omicron appear to be abating, why can’t we go back to seeing everyone in person? Despite a decrease in the community prevalence of Omicron, the threat of Covid-19 remains – particularly as patients who require GP care are generally unwell and more vulnerable. We would be putting patient safety at risk by unnecessarily seeing people whose healthcare needs could be dealt with remotely. Practices, like all other healthcare settings must continue to observe two-metre physical distancing. Until it is absolutely safe to do so, this will remain the position and the model of care being delivered from GP practices.
The care model may have changed to meet the circumstances, but we are open, we are seeing patients. Contact your GP as normal, and the practice team will take care of you.