Workshop examines GP services on Mull and Iona

A WORKSHOP has been held to plan a modernised NHS model to support the successful permanent recruitment of GPs to Mull and Iona.

Members of Mull and Iona’s three patient participation groups, community councillors, health and social care staff from the three practices and the hospital, together with local and senior management, attended the workshop.

The event considered the national and local picture regarding the challenges facing GP recruitment in Argyll and Bute, the Health and Social Care Partnership’s (HSCP) strategic plan detailing how GP practices will be configured in future and implications of the new GP contract which sees work transferring from GPs to other health and social care staff.

The workshop heard from community members regarding concerns over the existing service, as well as considering proposals on how services could be provided on the islands. This included the implications of moving the GP surgery from Salen to Craignure, the importance of there being a GP service provided on the Ross of Mull and Iona and how this could operate both in and out of hours.

It was agreed a further workshop would be arranged in March at which detailed and costed service model options would be presented based on the following:

Identify and detail the costs and benefits and options to provide local services if the Salen surgery was to move to Craignure.

Single island GP practice for Mull and Iona operating out of three locations – Tobermory, Salen/Craignure and Bunessan, plus the branch surgery on Iona.

It is envisaged GPs and the rest of the practice clinical team would operate on a rota across all the GP surgeries and houses to provide the primary care service for Mull and Iona.

Prepare and present a range of service model options as to how the workforce could be configured to support day time and out-of-hours routine, urgent and hospital emergency care assessed needs using GPs, advanced nurse practitioners, practice and community staff and community services.

Develop a clear recruitment and marketing strategy to attract GPs to apply for the posts and to identify how the community’s expertise can help design and support this.