Staffing risk highlighted as walk-in clinic trial continues
Around 45 people are being seen at the new clinic each weekend
STAFFING has been described as “one of the biggest risks” of the new Lerwick walk-in clinic as its 12-month trial progresses.
NHS Shetland’s associate medical director for primary care Dr Deepa Shah said at a meeting of the isles’ integration joint board on Thursday that other walk-in clinics elsewhere in Scotland have reported staffing struggles.
Meanwhile IJB chair councillor John Fraser paid tribute to the staff who worked on getting the clinic opened, adding that it had been in the pipeline since November.
The walk-in clinic opened at Grantfield in Lerwick in early May, initially at the weekends, with anyone in Shetland able to attend for a variety of minor illnesses.
The IJB meeting heard that around 45 people have attended the clinic each weekend so far, with the service set to expand to seven days a week from July.
The Lerwick clinic is one of many across Scotland being piloted by the Scottish Government, with nearly £1 million in funding coming NHS Shetland’s way for the trial.
But staffing the clinic was described as a key risk of the project.
Dr Shah said the clinic is staffed by GPs and ANPs (advanced nurse practitioners).
She told IJB members that staff were not being shifted from other services, with people instead working additional hours, for example.
When the service moves to seven days a week it is expected that NHS Shetland would use locums or access staff through the Rediscover the Joy of General Practice programme, which offers GPs flexible work.
Dr Shah said NHS Shetland has also developed a business continuity plan if they are unable to staff the clinic.
She added that most people attending the clinic have fitted in with the eligibility criteria – and if they have not, patients are being redirected to more appropriate avenues such as A&E or general practice.
Shetland South councillor Robbie McGregor, who represents the SNP, said whenever he hears about weekend overtime and locum staff, he “starts to panic” in terms of costs.
But Dr Shah reiterated that the service is externally funded, with the workforce accounted for.
Meanwhile carer representative Jim Guyan expressed concern about what will happen once the trial ends.
He questioned if there is no more money coming from the government, “are we going then throw this workload back onto primary care?”
IJB chief officer Jo Robinson said this is always the fear with “pump primed projects” where there is no guarantee of ongoing funding.
But she said walk-in clinics are an ongoing Scottish Government commitment, which is being evaluated closely.
Meanwhile Fraser said the team were aware a walk-in clinic was coming to Shetland back in November, but were not able to make it known publicly.
SNP election candidate Hannah Mary Goodlad, who was voted in as Shetland’s MSP in May, said during the recent campaign that she had written to the Scottish health secretary on 18 February to request a new walk-in clinic be based in Lerwick.
On 24 February first minister John Swinney announced the clinic was due to open in April.
Fraser said there had been a “significant amount of work” undertaken locally across various departments to make the walk-in clinic happen.
Swinney said in April that walk-in clinics across Scotland was “part of a package addressing the 8am rush that has frustrated so many of us – easing capacity pressures on family doctors”.
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