Nicola Grant commenting on a report in a newspaper last week about contradictions by GPs on the numbers of patients seen on a weekly basis. The BMA released figures which the Department disputed. The mechanisms used to record such information can be manipulated and confused and what is needed is a straightforward way of recording interactions between doctors and patients. In a response to a newspaper the department said that over half of GPs appointments were by telephone and that figures can be double counted (if a patient rings in and is triage by a staff member before speaking to a doctor) that can be double counted, as can any other contact with others outside the practice.
Ms. Grant said there were two announcements last week one from the BMA about doctors burnout in Northern Ireland being higher than other regions of the Uk the other announcement was from a private health company who was expanding from Newry to a number of other places across Northern Ireland and their intentions are to provide primary care services at affordable prices (GP Services ) this now raises a number of questions which the Workers Party will be putting to the Minister and the department of health and social care. The BMA survey published last week found that 26% of doctors in Northern Ireland were at risk of burnout compared to 18% in other regions of the UK. The survey also found that 54% of doctors in Northern Ireland found it difficult to provide patient care at least once a week, this is a really concerning situation for patients and General Practitioners.
In one of his consultation documents the minister claimed that with all the new restructuring proposals that patients would be able to have home visits from GPs which begs the question where will these GPs come from, where will the private sector recruit their GPs from. Will it be from the existing numbers of GPs who are already according to their union facing burnout. Ms. Grant added the Workers Party will be asking the following questions from the department and the minister.
How many GPs have we across Northern Ireland?
How many of those GPs are also covering the out of hours system?
Has the department entered or intend to enter a contract with this private provider of Primary Care Services.
Will the department and our GPs provide a commitment to patients and carers that our current primary care providers across all grades including GPs will not be offered shifts that will deplete the service for those who cannot afford to pay. Ms. Grant ended by saying this is now the final piece of the privatisation and fragmentation jigsaw being lined up for completion. We must fight to stop these two-tier health care systems being put in place. Because it is those who are in poverty, those suffering from health inequalities, the elderly and the most vulnerable members of society who will suffer. We have already paid for our healthcare through our National Health contributions and our income taxes. Why should we be asked to pay twice and why should those who can afford to be able to jump the queue, which will happen because General Practitioners do not grow on trees .
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