31 August 2007
Out-of-hours care services provided by the NHS are in danger of becoming unsustainable in the long term, an Audit Scotland report has warned.
Under the new system introduced in 2004, GP practices can opt out of providing care at night – but doctors can then choose to deliver some of the work to NHS boards for a fee.
However, the number of doctors doing this work has been steadily dropping, especially in rural areas, Audit Scotland has found. In a report, Primary care out-of-hours services, published this week, the public spending watchdog said fewer doctors were now providing these services.
It states: 'New ways of working are required. The SEHD [Scottish Executive Health Department] and NHS boards must adopt a much greater focus and commitment to investment in, and planning for, extended roles for health professionals and joint working.'
According to the study, the number of GPs from opt-out practices who then re-provided some level of out-of hours care for an hourly fee fell from 1,696 in 2004/05 to 1,440 in 2006/07. 'This makes it harder for boards to fill out-of-hours GP rotas,' the report states.
Caroline Gardner, the deputy auditor general for Scotland, said: 'The way the service is currently delivered needs to change as there is a significant risk that it is unsustainable in its current form, particularly in Scotland's rural and remote areas.'
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