AROUND 30% of family doctor practices in Tayside will next week start opening for extended hours in the evenings or on Saturday mornings, writes Marjory Inglis, health reporter.

Speaking at a conference in Glasgow, minister for public health Shona Robison said up to £2.65 million is to be made available to GP practices to allow them to extend opening hours with nursing support.

Susan Ross, NHS Tayside’s general manager for primary care services, said extra money was made available earlier this year to allow GPs to extend opening hours, offering booked appointments in the evenings and on Saturday mornings.

She said around 30% of Tayside practices volunteered to get involved in offering these enhanced services, which will start from July 1.

Mrs Ross said individual practices will offer different mixtures of evening and Saturday openings, and the number of extended hours will depend on the size of the patient list.

An average practice of 7000 patients will be expected to offer an extra three-and-a-half hours of GP appointments.

Dr Andrew Buist, chairman of the British Medical Association’s Tayside area medical committee, said it was likely the practices that get involved in providing extended hours nurse appointments will be the same as those that opt to provide an extended GP service.

However, he added a note of caution, explaining that many nurses who opt to work as practice nurses do so because they have young families and because the current hours suit family life.

He said involvement in extending opening hours to include practice nurses will depend on whether those nurses are willing to make themselves available in the evenings and on Saturday mornings.

Dr Buist said the BMA believed there were “higher priorities” for health service resources, but that extending opening hours was “politically driven.”

Ms Robison said, “Patients have told us that they need more flexibility in accessing GP appointments, and we are working with GPs to deliver that.

“We know GPs don’t work in isolation and nurses are a critical part of the care that practices provide.

“Since April, GP practices have been able to apply for extra funding to extend their opening hours to weekday evenings, early mornings or Saturday mornings.

“This extra £2.65 million funding will further enhance this by investing in vital nursing support during those hours.”

Ms Robison made her announcement at the 2008 NHSScotland Event at the SECC in Glasgow.

Now in its second year, the conference brings together over 1000 NHS staff, from front-line workers to senior management, to discuss a range of key issues and share best practice.

She also announced an expansion of the services provided by Scotland’s community pharmacies.

“Pharmacies are already a key provider of care and advice for Scots of all ages across the country, and that’s going to be expanded even further,” she said.

“Working with community pharmacists, we are introducing a smoking cessation service and a sexual health service, offering free chlamydia testing and treatment and free emergency contraception.

“Both of these will make an important contribution to improving the health of Scots.

“By making them part of the national community pharmacy contract we ensure Scots around the country can benefit from an equally high standard of care.”

The new pharmacy services have been agreed as part of an expansion to the public health service delivered via the community pharmacies, which forms part of the 2008-09 funding settlement of the community pharmacy contract.

“Improving access to GP and pharmacy services in our communities is crucial to our vision of a more patient-centred NHS,” said the minister.

“Today’s announcements prove we are determined to deliver on that commitment and, in the 60th anniversary of the NHS, will work in partnership together with health service staff to ensure we continue to improve the health of all people in Scotland.”