Forres Health and Care Centre staff plea to public for patience after criticism about level of service during pandemic
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STAFF at Forres Health and Care Centre have spoken out after criticism of the level of local NHS services during the coronavirus pandemic, branding some remarks made online as ‘very cruel’.
Doctors Peter Kelly, Mags Neison, Gill Clarke, Keith Marshall, Iain Munro, Kiersten Pecchia, Joanne Inkson, Eric Janousek, Douglas Jarvie, Malcolm Simmons and Alex Flett signed a letter to the Gazette responding to queries they have heard directly, as well as pointed comments on social media, focused on some patients’ perceived inability to get immediate face-to-face appointments.
The letter reads: “The GP Partnerships of Culbin and Varis Medical Practices would like to thank patients for their understanding and support during ongoing Covid restrictions. We have had many expressions and letters of thanks, and this means a lot to our GPs and our dedicated staff.
“That said, we have become aware of local social media forums where there have been some frustrations raised, and we would like to provide some answers to these.
Some people have asked why the can’t have open access to the health centre like before? The current advice by NHS Grampian and Grampian Local Medical Committee is that even with vaccination and Test and Protect in place, contact with the virus means that our most vulnerable patients and our staff are still at significant risk.
“We must therefore screen everyone before allowing access to the building via asking Covid questions, ensuring face covering, use of hand gel and physical distancing. This is the reason why patients are being asked to contact us by telephone and why we therefore currently continue to use intercom access. The health centre has remained open and providing services throughout the Covid pandemic.
“Some people want to know why they can’t be given a face-to-face appointment.
“The current advice for GP practices is that they should manage patients digitally where possible (ie by telephone or video) and only see those who require a face-to-face clinical assessment.
“For this reason, patients will normally be offered a telephone or video appointment in the first instance, and the GP will bring them in for a face-to-face appointment if they need to examine them.
“With the ongoing physical distancing restrictions, we have room for only 13 patients in the waiting room (allowing a further 13 seats for patients waiting for NHS clinics/services). Vaccination does not provide 100 per cent protection against the virus, and people can still be a carrier or spreader of the virus even with the vaccine.
“There are likely to be vulnerable patients in the waiting room such as chemotherapy patients, or the frail or elderly who are immunocompromised, who are at high risk from the virus.
“There have also been questions from people who want to know why staff need to ask what is wrong with patients when they call.
“Our administration team have been trained in care navigation, having received training from both the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Culbin and Varis GPs.
“It is a requirement of their job to find out further information. The questions they ask are to help get the right treatment – the GPs fully support them in this respect. They work to signpost to the correct service (sometimes this may be the community pharmacy, dentist, optician, access team, etc). They have also been provided with protocols and guidance from the GPs on appointment booking, to ensure that patients receive the most appropriate appointment according to their symptoms. Signposting and care navigation is now normal practice across Scotland.
“Our administration team are an integral part of the practice team who will treat your call with confidentiality and respect. They are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as all staff. It is really important that you work with them to ensure they have all the necessary details to help you get the most appropriate advice.
“Some people wonder why they have to wait for a routine appointment. Demand on our services is now higher than it ever was pre-Covid, due to higher numbers of patient contacts and the impact from increased waiting times in other services (eg hospital and support services).
“As a result, waiting times for routine and non-serious problems might be a couple of weeks in order that we can continue to have the capacity to deal with more serious conditions which need to be seen on the day, or in a shorter timescale. We also continue to provide home visits for those who are housebound and for palliative patients, as well as care home provision to both Cathay and Meadowlark Care Homes.
“If it is a genuine medical emergency then you should call 999 and ask for an ambulance. If you need emergency care, but are not in imminent danger, then you should call 111. If your symptoms mean that you need on-the-day advice then a member of our duty team will look at all the information available and make an assessment.
“Our staff have all worked tirelessly and in very challenging conditions to continue to provide care for you and your families throughout the pandemic. In addition to working at the health centre, a lot of our team members have used their own time to provide help at the local Covid hub in Elgin, as well as helping to deliver the hugely successful vaccination programme across Moray.
“It is very disappointing that our staff have been subject to increasing levels of unpleasant behaviour and verbal abuse recently, including some very cruel online remarks on public forums. This sort of behaviour is damaging to our team morale.
“We understand that people are finding the situation frustrating and we too would love to see a return to normal as soon as possible, but for now we ask that you continue to be patient and understanding of the fact that we must work within the current guidelines set out by the NHS and Scottish Government. Please work with us and most importantly, be kind.”
