Local NHS falls behind on extended GP open hours

NHS

The Department of Health yesterday announced that more than 50% of GP surgeries are now offering patients extended opening hours nationwide.

However, surgeries within NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale are way behind that figure with just four out of a total of 35 surgeries offering extended hours.

Across the country GPs have met the challenging Government target to have 50% offering more flexible early morning, evening and weekend opening three months early.

Although less than 10% of surgeries in NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale are currently offering extended hours, a spokesperson said that the local NHS will achieve the Government target.

Vivienne Ben-David, head of primary care at NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, said: “The Department of Health has set new minimum requirements for extended hours meaning that sessions have to be provided by GPs, on their own practice premises, for a specific number of hours per week. This meant that some of our practices delivering extended hours no longer qualified.

"We are currently working with practices to help them meet the extended hours requirements and have already increased the number of practices qualifying this month. We are still on track to meet the Government’s 50% target by December.”

Rochdale's Labour Parliamentary candidate Simon Danczuk wants the local NHS to ensure that this is the case.

He said: "I am concerned that we do not compare favourably to what other PCTs are doing in our region. For example, Bury PCT is offering extended opening hours in 17 of 32 practices. And over at Bolton PCT, they are offering extended opening hours in 44 out of 55 practices. We need to see more improvement locally to catch up with these PCTs and create a fairer NHS, where people can see a doctor when they need to.”

NHS HMR have countered by saying that in addition to the national extended hours programme, they are still running three additional pilot projects to deliver extended hours locally. This includes a doctor providing a surgey at Sainsbury’s, local out of hours provider BARDOC providing extended hours and also a cluster of GPs providing a seperate locally enhanced service.

NHS HMR claim that this actually means that 28 of the area's 35 practices are providing patients with an extended hours service but not all  meet the Department of Health targets.

Vivienne Ben-David continued: "As well as extended hours, we are developing a new GP-led health centre and four new practices across the Borough, all of which will house four new doctors and be open for longer, including weekends. NHS HMR has a range of excellent services in place and in the pipeline to ensure its patients can get to see a doctor in the right place, at a time to suit them."

The initiative for extended GP opening hours follows changes to the GP contract agreed with the British Medical Association in March, where the local NHS worked with family doctors in each area of the country to agree arrangements for extra weekend and/or evening opening.

Mr Danczuk added that he had already been contacted by a number of local people who had commented on how important it was for them to be able to access a GP outside or normal working hours.

“I am aware that for many people like the self-employed or hourly paid workers, seeing a GP during the working day can impact on their pay packet,” he said. “It is easy to say you should always seek medical advice as soon as possible if you have concerns but it can be a difficult choice if it affects the pounds in your pocket and I am pleased that this Government doesn’t find that acceptable.”