THE HEALTH and Social Care Board (HSCB) has said work is under way to reform the Out of Hours GP (OOH) service, which has seen a 20 percent increase in local demand over the past month.
Responding to reports from Fermanagh patients of problems accessing the service last Sunday, the HSCB has said work is beginning on redesigning the service.
“Western Urgent Care (WUC), similar to the other Out of Hours providers, continues to develop the skill-mix of its workforce to ensure that patients’ urgent clinical needs can be met by the most appropriate healthcare professional, including GPs, Nurse Advisor, Prescribing Pharmacist, Paramedic Practitioner or Nurse Practitioner,” said a HSC spokesman.
“On those occasions where fewer doctors are available than scheduled, WUC plan the clinical workforce to best meet the needs of patients.
“This was the situation on Sunday 31 October, between 8am and midnight, when a GP and Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) from the Enniskillen base provided clinical cover for patients contacting the OOHs service in Omagh.
“It is important to note that the majority of patients who contact the Out of Hours service can be effectively treated without the need to be seen face-to-face.”
The spokesman added: “GP OOH contacts recorded by WUC demonstrate a 20% increase in October 2021 as compared to October 2020. The Health Minister recently announced up to £5.5m to support general practice in Northern Ireland, £3.8m of which is committed to support additional patient care through the winter, including in the out of hours period.
“The Health and Social Care Board, Department of Health and Out of Hours providers are continuously working to deliver service improvements in the out of hours period. Work is also commencing on the redesign of the service to develop a regional approach that integrates and aligns the current OOHs service with the Minister’s No More Silos Action Plan.
“This will more closely integrate and simplify access for patients in the out of hours period, increasing the confidence that service users and the public have in their services.”
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