GP out-of hours crisis hits ambulance service
A LOCAL ambulance chief has issued a stark warning that the lack of out-of-hours GP care is stretching his service.
Graham MacLeod told Highland councillors a shortage of doctors working after hours meant his staff were coming across situations where there has been no out-of-hours care available for patients all the way from Inverness to Wick.
Mr MacLeod, the Scottish Ambulance Service's head of service for north west, said on those occasions local surgeries were closed and paramedics had to take injured people all the way to Wick Town and County Hospital or Raigmore Hospital in Inverness,
He was presenting a quarterly performance report to members of the community safety, public engagement and equalities committee today (Thursday) when he spoke about how the out-of-hours crisis was affecting the ambulance service.
He said: "We have had some issues with regard to where the out-of-hours care was being provided from. We have seen occasions where there’s been no out-of-hours care from Inverness to Wick. Primary Care centres did not have a doctor or a nurse available. Dingwall, Golspie and Invergordon are problematic, but things are more stable in Wick and Lochaber and the Badenoch area."
He said improvements had been made in Invergordon and Dingwall recently, with the introduction of nurse practitioners who were stemming the flow.
The revelation comes weeks after a senior consultant criticised the out-of-hours healthcare in Inverness, saying GPs’reluctance to work weekends is increasing accident and emergency waiting times at Raigmore Hospital.
Gary Kerr, lead A&E clinician, said doctors’ unwillingness to work beyond their normal shift pattern was causing significant problems, with patients instead turning up at the hospital and having to wait longer for medical treatment.
NHS Highland confirmed there are problems and is meeting GPs to discuss the issue.
The difficulties date back to changes to the GP contract. Since 2004 medical practices have been able to choose whether or not to provide out-of-hours services for their patients.
The vast majority decided not to do so, with responsibility for providing cover moving to health boards.
Last year, doctors’ leaders warned that the problem had come to a head.
