BMA response to Lancet study into effectiveness of GP telephone triage services Responding to a new Lancet study examining the performance of GP telephone triage services in the UK, Dr Richard Vautrey, Deputy Chair of the BMAs GP committee said: GPs have always been at the forefront of offering new ways to meet the needs of patients. More and more surgeries are offering telephone consultations and triage services and it is possible for these to be effective, as they allow GPs to manage demand for appointments and improve access for patients who dont necessarily need a face-to-face consultation. However, practices are also aware of the potential significant issues with the increased use of telephone consultations. A key problem is that general practice as a whole is under real pressure from soaring patient demand and falling funding, which often means that practices dont have enough GPs or nurses to operate these services in addition to managing their current workload. Where they are being used GPs have reported to the BMA the outcome that this study confirms, that they often generate substantial extra demand as some patients use them more frequently than they would normally have contacted the practice, whilst other patients would have self-cared without the need to contact the health service at all. It is also important that we get the balance right and do not think over the phone or other non-visual means of assessment can replace all face-to-face consultations. There are many conditions that can only be safely treated by direct examination in the GP practice. This is why we need to ensure we have enough GPs, practice staff and resources to treat the steadily rising level of demand for GP appointments, especially from our ageing population. GPs are working harder than ever before, undertaking 340 million consultations a year, up 40 million since 2008, but GP services require more support to keep pace with what patients need. We must ensure new ways of working are properly resourced, fully integrated with the rest of the health service and that we carefully assess any limitations they might have. Ends Paul Gadsby Senior Media Officer Communications Directorate Media Office
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:31:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015