Britain's GPs may be told to open clinics in evenings |
|
|
Published
:
Fri, 11 Nov 2005 20:05
|
LONDON: British doctors running general practice clinics may be asked to stay open during evenings and weekends under a new reform plan of the health sector. Health secretary Patricia Hewitt is expected to announce the plan today.
The department is also mulling enlisting private healthcare firms to meet the increasing healthcare demands.
Hewitt told media persons that while people are happy with the service they receive from their GP, they are less happy with access and convenience. It is not sufficient for the clinics to be open from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.
She said patients, as consumers, were used to supermarkets opening every day of the year, often late into the evening. But GP surgeries and health centres usually worked 9 a.m to 5 p.m. Too many still refused to let patients book an appointment in advance, requiring them to call in the morning when lines to the receptionist were busy.
The health department is considering several changes in the existing procedures to improve community services. The department has already announced that nurses and pharmacists can prescribe medication to take pressure off doctors.
The decision, which virtually removes the doctors' monopoly on diagnosis and treatment, has been described by the medical profession as "irresponsible and dangerous". Chairman of British Medical Association James Johnson sought an urgent meeting with Hewitt to clarify her intentions.
At the BMA, senior doctors expressed shock about not being briefed beforehand, on nurses and pharmacists being given right to prescribe. Johnson said: "We need to meet urgently with the health secretary to clarify the conditions under which other professions can prescribe. It is difficult to see how healthcare professionals not trained to diagnose disease can safely prescribe appropriate treatment. The BMA will be seeking assurances that patient safety will not be compromised."
Chairman of the consultants' committee Paul Miller described it as an irresponsible and dangerous move and said patients will suffer.
However, the nursing profession welcomed the move. Beverly Malone, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said nurses will now get even better care and faster access to medicines. Research shows that nurse prescribing is safe, cost effective and popular with patients.
The U.K. will be the first country in the world where nurses and pharmacists will be able to prescribe any drug for any condition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Print this Story
Report says NHS is mired in huge debts 