Help needed for GP service on its knees

ANYONE in need of medical attention expects the health service to provide it. But such are the pressures on the system, people are simply not being seen.

Waiting lists for operations are growing by the week, any visit to accident and emergency can take hours.

The deeply concerning figures are a matter of public record.

And even down to the basics, seeing a doctor at your local GP surgery has become more and more difficult.

It’s not as if this is a new problem. The warning bells have been echoing for several years.

And the situation is laid bare today by the experience of former Irish League footballer Dessie Loughery, who was seeking help for his psoriasis.

Try getting an appointment by telephoning your local surgery in the morning, and unless you hit a sweet spot, when an under pressure receptionist has just put the phone down, all you hear is the engaged tone.

Some people are only getting through after hundreds of calls.

When they do, they are being told to try again the next day to secure an appointment.

Some are now even queuing up outside surgeries first thing in the morning in a bid to secure a ring back from a doctor.

Health Minister Robin Swann says he is well aware of the crisis.

At the Covid Inquiry, much was made about the pressure the health service was under at the time, impacting its ability to manage the pandemic.

Things have not improved since.

GPS here are involved in more than 200,000 consultations every week, but the huge demand and difficulties in maintaining standards have seen some practices hand back their contracts to the Department of Health, unable to continue.

It’s also difficult to retain GPS, who can find better salaries and conditions elsewhere.

That’s extremely worrying for a health system that used to be the envy of the world.

Dr Alan Stout of the British Medical Association says it has produced an action plan, but is still waiting for it to be implemented by health bosses.

There is no short-term fix for the crisis, according to Mr Swann.

He says it will take time and resources.

But where are these resources going to come from, considering the parlous state of Stormont’s finances?

“The bottom line is that I cannot deliver what I do not have the money to fund,” said Mr Swann.

If those words are not enough to shock people, then nothing will.