Shake- up over GP availability
Fears over the availability of f GPs to out- of- hours patients s has sparked a radical health h service shake- up.
Ayrshire Doctors on Call l ( ADOC) is to be revamped d as part of a bid to keep the e system alive.
The doctor service, hit with h a string of staffing shortages, s, will form part of a new w “urgent care hub” based at t Crosshouse.
Social workers, carers, , district nurses and mental l health staff will now work k alongside doctors as part of f the new- look unit.
But Ayr MSP John Scott t warned the controversial l move could add more pressure to the over- stretched A& E unit at Ayr.
He said: “My concern n remains that, much of the e time, GPs will not be available e and this, in turn, may lead to o increased attendance at our A& E departments.”
an ailing health service will be swallowed up as part of a radical NHs rebrand, the post can reveal.
Ayrshire Doctors On Call ( ADOC) is to have its out- of- hours team shaken- up in a bid to stay alive.
The GP service, hit with a string of staffing shortages, will form part of a new “urgent care hub” based at Crosshouse.
Social workers, carers, district nurses and mental health staff will now work alongside docs as part of the new- look unit.
It marks the end of ADOC as a stand- alone service, launched in 1996 as a twilight saviour for 300,000 patients across Ayrshire.
But we told last year how struggles to fill staffing rotas had led to just one manned car on the road. And sources within the service warned the shortage of medics had become “an accident waiting to happen”.
Health chiefs this week denied they were culling the team, but admitted a “new out- of- hours service” would launch later this month.
They insisted the move was in line with national policy to revamp out- of- hours care, following a study which “recognised the difficulty in sustaining GP involvement in out ofhours services”.
Eddie Fraser, director of the East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “It will bring together the skills, expertise and capacity of existing services so patients can access the right person, with the right skills at the right time. “The ‘ Ayrshire Urgent Care Service’ ( AUCS) will bring together a number of existing services into an ‘ urgent care hub’ operating from the Lister Centre at Crosshouse. This will be supported by the existing two urgent care centres at University Hospital Ayr and Ayrshire Central Hospital, and the home visiting service.”
Services based at the centre will include a crisis- resolution team and emergency response personal carers. Bosses said an ADOC presence would continue to operate from the new base, although patients would now have the option of different care.
One NHS source said: “The idea will be to use these other methods where at all possible. In truth this has been on the cards for a long time because operating ADOC has become a nightly battle due to the lack of bodies. Giving people access to more types of care under the one roof is the theory behind the plan.
“Unfortunately, people will still phone expecting to see a doctor and that’s where the problems will arise.”
But Mr Fraser insisted: “Members of the public shouldn’t notice any difference to the access to service they receive, apart from the change of name, but our intention is to improve the service through a more coordinated response.
“This new service means that members of the public will see the most appropriate healthcare professional for their condition.”
Ayr MSP John Scott has called for assurances the new unit won’t lead to extra pressure on A& E teams. He said: “Since it was launched in the 1996, the Ayrshire Doctors on Call service has been a valuable part of local health care provision.
“If indeed ADOC is changed, then we need to know that the replacement service will be able to provide the robust primary care out- of- hours service that local people have a right to expect.
“My concern remains that, much of the time, GPs will not be available and this, in turn, may lead to increased attendance at our A& E departments.”