As demand in Falkirk for GPs is continuing to rise ‘month on month and year on year’, members of the public are being urged to consider other options for healthcare first.
A major campaign asking people to think about whether they should call their GP when they get ill was “scuppered” by the pandemic, members of Falkirk Council heard at their final meeting of the year.
The interim head of primary care with Falkirk’s Health and Social Care Partnership, Tom Cowan, was questioned by councillors about the difficulties their constituents have getting a doctors’ appointment.
He insisted that GPs are not to blame for the problems that are being felt across the country.
He said: “All day, every day GPs are in their rooms seeing people, it’s not that they are not doing that and we are recruiting to every post we can.
“We are trying to look at how to offset some of the demand.”
He told members that GP numbers in Forth Valley have remained fairly steady – but the demand for appointments continues to rise and shows no sign of abating.
In recent years, work has taken place to support GPs by introducing other health professionals – such as physiotherapists, mental health specialists and pharmacists – into every area in Forth Valley, as part of the local Primary Care Improvement Plan.
Mr Cowan said recruitment for that has been “reasonably successful” but added: “Where it has been a challenge is in it making an impact on reducing the workload for GPs, so they can concentrate on those in greatest need.”
But he admitted that many members of the public remain to be convinced about going to anyone other than a GP and in particular are reluctant to speak to a receptionist about their health problems.
“I would push back on the notion that the receptionists are just someone who answers the phone,” he said.
“That was perhaps the case in the past but receptionists are now part of the triage system.
“They are much better trained than people imagine them to be!
“The intention is to assess as quickly as possible who requires immediate attention and who might have to wait.”
He admitted, however, that work has still to be done convincing people.
“None of this sounds good and none will feel acceptable to the people who are frustrated by the challenges that they face.
“But in reality we need to make our GP situation sustainable.
“It’s unrealistic to expect that anybody who wants to see a GP is put through to a GP because if you look at the trajectories and the graphs, the demand for GPs and contact goes up month on month, year on year.
“It has never been higher, with no sign of abating.”
The move to use other health care professionals began in 2019 but a major national campaign to highlight and promote the change was ‘scuppered’ by the pandemic, Mr Cowan explained.
He added that persuading people to “see the right person at the right time” it will be “a significant priority” going forward.
It is hoped that the public will come to welcome the changes as they should find it more straightforward to get mental health care or physiotherapy, for example, but he acknowledged they are not there yet.
“We’ve not quite taken the public with us and reassured them on what the new model gives to them,” he said.
Taking the pressure off GPs, he said, is vital not just for patients but for GP’s themselves who are under “significant pressure”, with many considering other career options.
Mr Cowan also pointed to the fact that most GPs are independent businesses which means they can vary greatly in terms of telephony, booking systems and communication in general.
The chief officer of Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, Gail Woodcock, said the partnership was taking part in a national campaign to make sure that people do know where to turn when they need medical help.
She said: “There’s no doubt that navigating access to health and care services can be really complex and there are lots of different pathways depending on people’s needs.
“So we do absolutely recognise that work needs to continue in ensuring people know where to go when they do need support so they are able to receive that support as quickly and early as possible.”
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