This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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GP waiting time cut by a third
20/04/2004
Waiting times have been cut and services for
patients improved as a result of a collaborative
approach to innovation in Scotland's health care.
Within six months the first wave of 100 General
Practices (GPs) cut waiting times by 35 per cent, and
made progress in treating patients with
diabetes.
More than a fifth of practices already have 60
per cent of diabetic patients on recommended blood
sugar levels. The second wave of 85 practices is due to
start next month.
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said:
"I am delighted with this progress. It is a
testament to a great deal of hard and challenging work
by the all the staff in each practice."
The Scottish Primary Care Collaborative (SPCC)
helps practices take a completely fresh look at what
they do and how to bring in changes The SPCC was
launched in March 2003 with funding of £7.6 million
over three years. A further £1.5 million was also
announced to establish Managed Clinical Networks for
diabetes in each Board area.
Some examples of their work include:
- rescheduling appointments away from Mondays -
usually the busiest day
- encouraging other staff to take on routine
work allowing GPs and nurses to make full use of
their skills and give more time to patients with
chronic disease
- telephone triage where nurses and doctors sit
next to receptionists and take call directly from
patients and assess clinical need
The Collaborative which is being rolled out by
the Centre for Change and Innovation will involve half
of all general practices across the country.
Examples include:
- Woodside Health Centre inGlasgow, in one of the most severely deprived areas
ofScotland, where patients used to wait six days to see a
GP. It is now able to offer an appointment within 24
hours.
- Church Streetpractice in Dunoon, where patients used to wait
eight days to see any GP and two weeks for a named
doctor. Now they can see the GP of their choice or a
practice nurse within a day.
The Partnership Agreement stated that by April 2004
anyone contacting their GP surgery will have access to a
GP, nurse or other health care professional within 48
hours. The National Waiting Times Unit has visited every
NHS Board inScotlandand all practices have reported that they now comply
with the target. Compliance will be formally monitored
through the new GP contract.
Speaking inSt Andrewsat a seminar for the first 100 practices, Malcolm
Chisholm said:
"The Collaborative approach isn't an easy option.
But it does show that by looking at new ways of
working, practices can both speed up access for
patients, free up staff time and remove much
unnecessary hassle for everyone.
"This has the knock-on effect of allowing chronic
conditions like diabetes to be managed in primary care
and providing insulin therapy previously only offered
in hospitals.
"Feedback from staff and patients taking part in
the Collaborative has been extremely positive.
"This demonstrates to the rest ofScotlandthat the potential rewards are very impressive. What
we are now witnessing is a real transformation of general
practice inScotlandbringing real benefits to staff and patients
alike.
"I am very grateful to Sir John Oldham and the
National Primary Care Development Team for spearheading and
supporting the Collaborative inScotland."
The Centre for Change and Innovation was
established by the Health Department in November 2002
to promote innovative practice across NHSScotland. Its
current work includes redesign of outpatient services,
improving access to primary care, and supporting a
range of pilot projects in Health Boards.