Health / Ask My GP service to go live in Scalloway soon
THE ASK My GP online triage service should be live at the Scalloway Health Centre at the end of June.
The service is currently in only in place at Lerwick Health Centre.
The app allows patients to message health professionals from their phone about issues rather than attend appointments.
The platform helps point patients in the right clinical direction, through a sort of triage system, and speeds up the process, with waiting times down in Lerwick.
NHS Shetland primary care manager Lisa Watt said at a meeting of the local integration joint board on Thursday that the system should be in place at Scalloway by the end of June, with two other practices in line to follow.
Watt said that it tends to only work in practices with more than 2,000 people on its books.
Lerwick councillor John Fraser hailed Ask My GP as a “tremendous service”.
Concerns, meanwhile, were raised at the meeting that adults who receive day care are being “left behind” in the recovery from Covid.
Depute director of community health and social care Jo Robinson said the sector was still working within strict social distancing rules – limiting the number of people that could be within the room at the same time.
The matter was raised by board member Jane Haswell during the meeting.
“We do have concerns that this group of people are being left behind,” Robinson said.
The board also heard that efforts are continuing to ensure health and social care staff take all their leave following the coronavirus pandemic.
“Human resources at Shetland Islands Council and the NHS are working with team leaders and managers to make sure staff are getting the leave that they are due,” public health principal Elizabeth Robinson said.
She added that this covered last year and this year.
Robinson added that it is “important to maintain staff”.
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