Easing GP Pressures

As pressures build on the Kingdom's GP surgeries, greater support is to be offered.

NHS Fife has announced a raft of measures aimed at alleviating pressures.

Bosses want to introduce advanced nurse practitioners and health and social care professionals into the surgery setting.

A bid has also been made to the Scottish Government to pilot commuity physicians.

Medical Director Doctor Frances Elliot explained: “As a Board, we are looking at a range of options in order to support practices and ensure that Fife patients continue to receive the best possible standard of care. 

“This will look at adapting the skill mix within practices to enable the recruitment of clinical pharmacists, advanced nurse practitioners and other health and social care professionals to support the existing teams. 

“In addition, a successful bid has been made to Scottish Government to pilot new community physicians. These individuals, who will already be fully trained GPs, will receive a year of extra training to give them skills to work across both community and hospital settings. Six of these practitioners are being recruited to a three year programme and will start training in November in Dunfermline. If this new model is successful then we will spread the introduction of community physicians to other areas in Fife. 

“This will help support practices deliver early intervention and more preventative care for the benefit of patients and families.”

Dr Elliot is leading the development of a new clinical strategy for Fife and will be working closely with General Practitioners through the Health and Social Care Partnership to ensure that strengthening primary care services forms a key part of health and social care integration.

Dr Elliot added: “NHS Fife recognises the pressures that general practice is facing and is committed to work with local practices to find solutions to the workforce shortages that are being experienced in Fife as well as across the rest of the UK."

Local GP and Chair of the Fife Local Medical Committee, Dr Gerald Burnett said: “I welcome Dr Elliot’s promises of support for GP practices in Fife. 

“We face escalating demand daily in the face of staff shortages and financial pressure. There must be a shift of resource to primary care to enable GPs to meet this demand. 

“I support Dr Elliot’s focus on continued high quality of patient care which must be coupled with solutions and funding.”

Councillor Andrew Rodger, Joint Chair of the Shadow Integrated Joint Board for Health and Social Care said: “I have seen first-hand how patients have benefitted from major investment in new surgeries and new services in my local area.

“We as individuals need to play a part in helping our family doctors feel that we are gradually putting models of care in place that will support them and make life easier for them.”