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.