The plans are to help reduce demand on Scotland’s out-of-hours helpline, NHS24.
A spokeswoman for NHS24 said it was in talks with the Scottish health department about how to ‘utilise the extended hours contract to provide the most flexibility for patients’ during consecutive public holidays like Christmas and Easter.
The helpline’s annual report revealed that last Easter, NHS24 received 40,000 calls over four days –19 per cent more calls than the previous year.
tom.ireland@haymarket.com
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Ben Ross - 15 August 2008
This must apply to England also.
By the way, I asked my accountant if he would be prepared to open on Bank Holidays, (and in the evnings and at weekends). I am unable to print his reply.
David Rose - 15 August 2008
But was'nt NHS24 designed to take the "pressure" off General Practice.....it is reassuring to find a service doing that which it was designed to do.
Duncan Elder - 15 August 2008
What about the Government opening during school holidays & both opening Civil Service on public hols ! Would be deemed to be a waste of money.
Looks like the demise of NHS24, it won't be needed soon & all the expensively recruited staff will either be given jobs elsewhere or will be made redundant at great cost.
Karen Ajax Lewis - 15 August 2008
Who would be funding the staff for the extra time at double time then? GPs again, I don't think so!!!
judith owens - 15 August 2008
What an amazing idea! Just amazing enough to tip practice staff over the edge + make them leave. For God's sake - they work very hard for very little money but yeh let's provide them with lots of incentives like this to encourage them to stay.
Kim Machin - 15 August 2008
For goodness sake, practice staff do have lives!! and families to spend time with, and there is more to life than working every hour God sends.... I am sick of hearing how practices should open extra hours. We are human beings you know and we all have our limits!
doron boone - 15 August 2008
If practice staff are not to be afforded public membership but are to ranked at a lower status, then there would be an argument to disallow them public holidays. Has our status fallen that low? Even immigrant workers and asylum seekers have some priviledges.
Niall Finegan - 16 August 2008
I'll work if I am joined by Mr Brown and the Health Minister for the whole day!! Perhaps the rest of the Cabinet too.
Ask your MPs to keep you company ?
katie jones - 19 August 2008
Is this just another "vote winner" strategy? We already offer extended hours although we cant access cival servents at times that would suit our working lives. So far in our surgery we have more DNA's on a Sat morn than at any other time in outr very long week!
John Alan Glasspool - 19 August 2008
Yes, it's usually those who jealously guard their own privileges most jealously, that are happy to remove the rights of others to things like bank holidays or a home life.Tatiana Nikolova - 20 August 2008
I have a better idea- why don't we work like 7/11, so the punters could just pop in at anytime they fancy, and for instance get emergency contracepton 10 minutes after the event ( if they can be bothered that is).
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