NHS cutbacks hit rural GPs
HEALTH services in Shetland are to be watered down after NHS Shetland vowed to save a six figure sum by cutting four rural GP posts.
The news emerged on Tuesday when the health board announced they were removing additional GPs working at five separate practices.
Three two doctor practices at Levenwick, Scalloway and Brae will lose their additional third GP, while the associate doctor supporting the two single-handed practices in Walls and Bixter is also going.
The four posts are not all full time and make up the equivalent of three full time positions, some of which have been lying vacant.
GPs say the move will make it harder for patients to get appointments and reduce the amount of extra medical, hospital and administrative work they have been able to do, having a knock on effect throughout the isles.
However NHS Shetland chief executive Ralph Roberts emphasised that the five practices had been receiving extra funding, which was not available to other GPs in Scotland.
Roberts said the health board needed to save money in every way possible and could no longer justify maintaining these additional posts.
“It became clear that we were funding practices over and above the national contract and it didn’t feel right that we should continue to do that,” he said.
“It’s fair to say there will be less GP time in Shetland, but the level here is above what you would expect in other places.
“We have small practices, but that allows them to provide an exceptionally high level of access and service to the local population.”
He promised to work with the five practices to find ways of maintaining a high quality primary care service on the Shetland mainland.
“What I don’t want to do is just say that this is down to the practices to sort out for themselves. We will continue to talk to them to about how we can keep supporting them.”
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Dr Aileen Brown, secretary of the local medical committee that represents GPs in Shetland, said the changes would have an impact Shetland-wide, but the main effect would be felt locally.
“We are already fully stretched with our work so we will find it difficult to carry on providing the level of service we have up til now,” she said.
“We will manage because we have to manage, but patients will probably find it harder to get appointments and we will have to look at different approaches to optimise our expertise.”
Ideas being discussed include increasing the amount of services offered by other health staff, reorganising the appointments system and introducing “telephone triage”.
However Brown did ask the health board to revisit their decision to cut the posts.
“It seems to be potentially destabilising the entire workforce and the concern is for the wider service throughout Shetland, not just the practices involved,” she said.
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