This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Nurses playing greater role in delivering patient care
23/11/2005
Nurses are continuing to play a greater role in the delivery of patient care in GP practices, according to data published today.
This is in line with the Executive's future vision of the NHS and shows the vital role nurses have in the management of long-term conditions.
The latest Practice Team Information (PTI) shows how many patients are being seen in GP practices, what the most common ailments are and the prevalence rates for certain conditions.
Commenting on the PTI data, Health Minister Andy Kerr said:
"Based on the GP practices surveyed, there were an estimated 27.4 million face-to-face appointments with patients across Scotland last year. The PTI data shows the high level of activity and the wide range of patient care that takes place in our GP practices.
"It shows nurses are integral to the practice team and are playing an ever increasing role in delivering care to patients in GP practices with conditions such as diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure. In Scotland, 43 per cent of patient appointments with the practice team were with nurses and health visitors.
"Nurses play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of disease for patients. The figures today support our future vision for the NHS whereby nurses play an even greater role in the management of long-term conditions.
"As to be expected the most common group of people to be seen by the practice team were the elderly and over all ages, females had a higher contact than males. I would urge men to remember to put their health first, and to visit their GP practice if they have symptoms that worry them.
"The work of our GP practices cannot be underestimated in providing quality care for patients, particularly in the diagnosis and management of long-term conditions."
Forty four GP practices across Scotland provided the information used to compile the Practice Team Information data.
The Practice Team Information complements the data that is being collected through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) within the GMS contract. However the two sets of data cannot be directly compared due to the different purposes for which it is collected. PTI estimates for disease prevalence are based on patients seen in GP practices in a year whilst QoF disease registers are compiled for the purpose of monitoring quality of care provided and have certain restrictions on patients included within the QoF register.
The most common conditions seen by members of the practice team were diseases of the skin, high blood pressure, depression and diabetes.
The data also shows the number of patients who have more than one medical condition/or conditions that have arisen from having a certain illness. For example, 28 per cent of patients attending practices with diabetes were also treated for high blood pressure during the year.