AQW 9267/17-22
Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim
Tabled Date: 22/10/2020
Answered On Date: 04/11/2020
Priority Written: Yes
Question:
To ask the Minister of Health what action he is taking to ensure that patients are able to contact their GP for advice and care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer:
GPs have a responsibility to provide core services to their registered patients and the current pandemic does not negate this requirement. GPs will however use their clinical judgement to decide how best to prioritise patients to provide this core service whilst maintaining patient safety. GP practices are operating a telephone first triage system which allows patients to seek medical advice from their GP for both routine and urgent problems. The GP then uses their clinical judgement to decide if the patient can be safely managed over the telephone or whether a face to face appointment is required. This approach ensures that patients are only required to visit surgeries where it is absolutely essential. This helps to ensure infection control and social distancing keeping both patients and staff safe. GP practices are open and are providing face to face appointments for those patients who are assessed as requiring them. All practices have been provided with a supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to allow them to do so safely. The telephone first triage system also allows GPs to identify those patients who may be infected with coronavirus. These patients can then be referred for face to face assessment to one of the Primary Care COVID-19 centres. This ensures that these patients do not attend the GP Practice or community pharmacy and are seen in an appropriate environment as well as ensuring that GP services are maintained with minimal disruption. GPs are still expected to clinically assess for risk of serious illness and refer as clinically appropriate for diagnostic tests and to specialist services, such as an outpatient clinic, as they have always done. The Health and Social Care Board wrote to GP practices in Northern Ireland on 30 July asking that, if this had not been done recently, practices undertake a review of arrangements for patients accessing their services in order to ensure that they are continuing to provide services at times that are appropriate to meet the needs of patients. Practices were advised to communicate to patients about the practice services that are available and how to access them with the recommendation that these communications make clear that GP practices are open. On 7 September, GP leaders from the Health and Social Care Board, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association issued a statement to reassure patients that, whilst patients may be seen in a different way, by phone or video-link, GP practices are still open to treat patients, provide advice and issue prescriptions. GPs want anyone who has a health concern to feel reassured that they will be able to get an appointment and see a GP if necessary. If people have symptoms or an unexplained illness or have any reason to be concerned, they should in the first instance contact their GP who will be able to provide advice. A letter was also issued to MLAs and other local political representatives providing an update on the current arrangements and asking that they share the key message with constituents that GP practices are open, but working differently. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges for the planning and delivery of health and social care services in Northern Ireland. General practice has rapidly changed its working patterns in order to cope with the current national emergency. Some of the measures taken are to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread by providing advice by telephone or video where appropriate. Other decisions are based on the potential impact of COVID-19 on conditions, or on the potential impact of treatments on the risk of COVID-19.
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