An open and honest approach

The loss of any services has to be a matter of regret, but when the loss is the number of doctors’ appointments on the island, there has to be real cause for concern.

So it is good to see the Arran Medical Group taking an open and honest approach to the obvious difficulties they are facing.

Too many health bodies over the years have run their affairs under a cloak of secrecy unwilling to give the public the facts of the situation.

But the Arran Medical Group has not followed this approach, preferring instead to tell patients exactly what is going on and why. It is a fact that Scotland is haemorrhaging GPs – it’s just not that attractive to junior doctors any longer. And attracting young GPs to Arran and other island and rural communities is proving a real challenge.

For every trainee GP like Dr Andrew Gaw, who loved Arran and embraced his time here, and who will be back next year, there are many others who would never dream of coming to a small island community.

The loss of a rural fellowship post and two trainees, combined with the retirement and semi-retirement of older doctors and others cutting their hours, has left the island practices, which combined three years ago, extremely stretched leading to the decision to, reluctantly, cut the number of appointments.

Various measures are being put in place to try to accommodate this reduction, but one thing which would help is the 40 to 50 patients every week who fail to turn up for booked appointments. Now the medical group is planning to discuss this with its Patient Participation Group to see if there is anything that can be done to improve the situation.

And patients are going to have to accept some flexibility as they may need to travel to a surgery other than their usual one, particularly for urgent ‘on the day’ appointments.

Of course there are going to be some grumblings that it is getting harder, and taking longer, to get a doctor’s appointment but the medical group is at least facing up to the difficulties which lie ahead.

It may not be just what the doctor ordered, but at least it is a cohesive plan.