More work needed to address “8am bottleneck” and reduce missed GP appointments
More work is needed to ensure that everyone can avoid the “8am bottleneck” and reduce the number of missed GP appointments in Wales, the health minister has said.
95 per cent of practices across Wales are now providing a mix of remote, face to face, urgent and pre-bookable appointments, and that people can contact their practice throughout the day to make an appointment.
These practices have also said they have now trained staff to direct people to the care that is right for them – to other services, like pharmacies or opticians, where appropriate, or to offer an appointment the same day or in the future if less urgent.
To build on this work, practices will collect and take action on patient feedback to ensure they can continue to improve access for the communities they serve.
As part of the new contract with GPs that comes into force this month, other practices are working towards implementing changes to make getting an appointment easier.
However Health Minister Eluned Morgan has said more needs to be done to ensure everyone in Wales can expect the same service.
She has also called on the public to help by reducing some of the thousands of missed appointments every month.
Data from the past year shows that on average around 80,000 people across Wales do not attend their appointments each month.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “GPs and their staff have worked tirelessly in the face of ongoing pressure, and I thank them for their commitment to improving access.
“Patients should be able to contact their GP practice throughout the day to book an appointment, avoiding the ‘8am bottleneck’ that causes frustration to many.
“The majority of practices have already started doing this and others are working to put new processes in place to achieve this.
“GPs are the first step in someone’s health care journey, and it is vital everyone can be seen, triaged, treated or referred on a more appropriate service as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“However, we all have a role to play in improving the service, there are around 80,000 missed appointments a month.
“If people don’t re-arrange appointments, they are costing other people the opportunity to see their GP, which can have a knock-on effect on other parts of the NHS.
“I encourage everyone to attend their appointments or re-arrange as soon as possible if they can’t attend, so that everyone who needs to see a GP can be seen.”
Check live fuel prices near you before you set off.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email news (@) deeside.com
NEW: Add Deeside.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Latest News
