Fife GPs are urging the public to take part in the kingdom’s healthcare consultation amid fears plans will threaten patient safety.
Doctors from four GP practices in north east Fife have written to The Courier voicing their fears.
Medics from Blackfriars and Pipeland medical practices in St Andrews, and Anstruther and Pittenweem and Elie medical practices have united to ask locals to voice their opposition to what they are calling “drastic” proposed cuts.
Speaking on behalf of the worried GPs, Dr Gerry Smyth from Blackfriars, said that despite the fact Fife is now more than halfway through the three-month Fife Health and Social Care Partnership consultation on the future configuration of health services, they were concerned many people remain unaware of the extent of the cuts to the local service.
The overnight GP out-of-hours service in St Andrews – like that in Dunfermline and Glenrothes – was shut by the partnership in April amid claims of staffing shortages.
That temporary closure has since been extended to next January.
The partnership’s consultation does not include any plan to reopen the overnight GP service in St Andrews.
Options focus on two centres, in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy, with either one or both opening from midnight to 8am.
Dr Smyth said he was unaware that any north east Fife GP was involved in the options appraisal process which led to the GP out-of-hours proposals.
He added the two schemes put forward by in its consultation document both include the complete closure of the out-of-hours GP centre and minor injuries unit at St Andrews not only in the overnight period, but also every weekday evening and throughout the whole of the weekend from Friday evening until Monday morning.
“As GPs working in NE Fife practices, we feel this represents an unacceptable loss of local service that will threaten patient safety and impact most profoundly on our elderly patients and on families with children.”
The GPs estimated more than 100 patients a week are currently seen in the St Andrews out-of-hours centre, all of whom would have to travel to Kirkcaldy or Dunfermline to be seen.
Most of these patients are elderly or very young, and many suffer from chronic conditions which may require frequent attendances at the out-of-hours service, they said.
The medics said because of its location, and as a result of the distance involved in having to travel to Kirkcaldy to access services, north east Fife patients will be the most significantly affected by these proposed changes.
GPs are fearful many patients will be unable to travel or will choose to delay seeking medical help, inevitably compromising clinical safety as well as adversely impacting on GPs’ already high daytime demand.
“They could put themselves in danger,” he said.
“In addition our community hospitals and palliative care units will be left without local medical cover during the out-of-hours period.”
They strongly urged all patients and local groups to engage in the consultation process, which they described as confusing for the public, attend local meetings and voice their strong opposition “to these drastic cuts being proposed to local health services”.
He added the partnership was in a difficult situation.
“We do not want to be seen in any way as fighting against the system, but if we start with the premise people who live in north east Fife should expect to be seen in north east Fife I am pretty sure we can work up a system with limited resources and could make that work.”
The partnership’s divisional general manager Claire Dobson said: “The consultation process is for exactly this purpose – to encourage people to have their say and gather as many views as possible.
“This is an opportunity for people across Fife to look at the challenges we’re facing and have their say on the future Fife’s health and care services.
“As critical members of the health care workforce, we hope all GPs will work with us to develop realistic, sustainable services that will offer the best possible outcomes for patients within the resources we have.”
