Concern over Out of Hours move

Phase two of the revamp kicked in on Wednesday. It will see more staff working at peak times and additional ‘back up’ GPs available on call during times of lesser demand.

It also sees GP cover removed from the Craigavon base between the hours of midnight and 8am.

The Southern Trust stated the changes do not represent cuts to the service.

Craigavon Trades Council said: “The Southern Health Trust is bending over backwards to make this change work, spending much of the money it was hoping to save to try to achieve this. The introduction (of phase two) has been delayed because of fear that it would fail at the first fence, a typical busy holiday weekend.”

The Trades Council said: “If the service works well, as the Trust claims, then of course we should accept this attempt to save and redirect money. But if the changes mean, as many fear, an unacceptable service then only public opinion and protests will force the Trust to reverse their unfortunate decision.”

A spokesperson for the trades council commented: “The only reason given for taking away overnight cover in Craigavon is the ‘need’ to save money. It is being argued that the small amount saved will help to improve the service at busy periods during the day, especially at weekends.

“Making sure there is an adequate service at all times is of course a good thing. But it does not have to mean taking away crucial services elsewhere. Good, convenient, universally available and trusted out of hours GP cover should be a feature of a modern prosperous society. It is not something that should be squeezed at the whim of faceless officials remote from the communities affected."

Dr Robert Carlile, Clinical Lead for the GP Out Of Hours service has advised that the first phase of improvements to the service were introduced on March 22.

He said: “Nurse Triage between 12midnight and 8am has commenced and early indications show that it has already begun to enhance the service received by patients with the majority of calls being responded to in less than 15 minutes. Face to face consultations with a GP at a centre or in a patient’s own home are taking place within 45 minutes of initial contact with the service.”

He added: “Alongside the introduction of the Nurse Triage pilot, we have been testing out the new model for night time working with the co-ordination of centre appointments and home visits between two GPs. This is important to allow us to determine how the changes to the service will work or if further adjustments might be needed.

“We acknowledge the views expressed by the Craigavon and District Council of Trade Unions, but our patients will know that it can be very busy during holiday periods therefore it was considered to be prudent to implement the next phase of the changes after the Easter break.”

Dr Carlile explained: “From (Wednesday) April 7, the next phase will come into effect, enabling more staff and resources to be made available at the busiest times. At times of lesser demand, additional ‘back up’ GPs will be on call to provide extra cover if required. GP Out of Hours service providers elsewhere in Northern Ireland also use ‘standby’ doctors as a way of enabling service provision to continue if a GP is unable to work their night shift at short notice.

“Additional service hours in the evening will be provided by both nurses and doctors. Reallocation of some of the existing staff budget from night time - when activity levels are at their lowest - to peak times of activity at weekends and evenings, will enable the Trust to provide a more responsive service to better meet the needs of our patients.”

He concluded: “These changes are not cuts. They are designed to make more staff available at times when the service is busiest. The service will continue to be provided to patients in the same way and patients should continue to contact the service by phoning first on 0870 600 6009.”