Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser has welcomed assurances from NHS Tayside in relation to the future of GP Out of Hours services across Perthshire.
There has been concern in many Perthshire communities over the past year in relation to the decline in Out of Hours GP services, meaning that Perthshire patients often had no alternative but to travel late at night or at weekends to Kings Cross Hospital in Dundee to access the Out of Hours services.
To get an update on where matters stood, Murdo Fraser arranged a meeting with Jane Bruce, Clinical Director, Tayside Out of Hours Service, and Angela Cunningham and Jillian Galloway from NHS Tayside. He was assured that the difficulties in the provision of service were not down to a lack of funding, but rather due to the shortage of doctors volunteering to cover shifts at night and over the weekend.
However, the provision of a “Roving GP” to cover Perthshire over the past three months has been deemed to be a success, with 260 patients seen, and with positive feedback. There has also been more interest from GPs in signing up to the service.
Commenting after the meeting, Murdo Fraser said,
“I am aware of the level of public concern about Out of Hours GP cover across Perthshire, particularly for those in more remote areas such as Highland Perthshire where a trip to Kings Cross Hospital in Dundee can mean a very substantial journey either late at night or at the weekends, a prospect which is even more daunting in a period of bad weather.
“It is therefore encouraging to hear that the Roving GP service has been deemed to be a success. NHS Tayside are working on developing a Community Hub with primary care and pharmacy based in Perth, along with an expansion of the community nurse service in Perth to reflect changes that have already taken place in Dundee.
“I will continue to monitor these initiatives, and I am sure that members of the public will continue to contact me with their own experiences of Out of Hours NHS services.
“As we enter what is usually the very busy festive period in the NHS, there is also a need for the public to act responsibly in terms of the demands they make on health professionals. There is always pressure on all health services over the winter period, and it is important that the most urgent cases are given priority.
“In addition, there is still a need for more doctors to volunteer to take up Out of Hours shifts, and I would encourage those who are able to do so to come forward to help fulfil this vital public service.”