News

GPs under attack again on out-of-hours care

09-Aug-07

GPs are under attack on the quality of out-of-hours care, after the BBC revealed rising numbers of complaints.

The MPS figures showed that officials started dealing with 30 new cases in the UK in 2003 - the last full year under the old system - but by 2006 that had risen to 100.

Meanwhile, the MDU dealt with 182 complaints in England last year, up from 120 in 2002, said the BBC.

The figures have reignited the debate over the quality of out-of-hours services since the large-scale transfer of responsibility to PCTs.

The most common reasons for complaints was said to be a delay or failure in diagnosis, and a delay or failure to visit.

GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman told the BBC: ‘It is a fact that patients are annoyed when they cannot see their normal doctor and I think this is more likely to make them complain about the care they receive.
‘It does not mean the care is worse, but I do think doctors could improve their communication’

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Comments

3 comments

Brenda Jackson

09/08/2007

Not enough GPs are on at the right time during out of hours - recently I was told about the out of hours service having only 2 doctors on to cover a significantly large area within the PCT which included several rural villages and towns, considerable GP practices, a larger than cottage hospital with its own A&E facilities but which couldn't be manned for several hours as there wasn't a GP who could cover. This service would to anyone be an appalling, dangerous service.

naeem khan

11/08/2007

i start with with a disclaimer that I am not a GP, that said, I think it is becoming fashionable for media to start picking on various professions. no doubt many of us would remeber that some years back the media had a famous saying " fat cat lawyers". as a lawyer i know that our earnings were and indeed are disproprtionate [less] to the level of work and our training. The media is now simply after the GPs as it is aware of their reasonable level of earnings. It maybe said that the DH is contstantly on the look out for saving costs. if we are to have a reasonable service from our GPs then it is only fair that we start to remunerate them to reflect that service - and i think this can be a fluid arrangement so that there is a good incentive to provide a good service.

David Rose

01/10/2007

Why is the PCT not "Under attack" after all they are responsible for the OOH provision and NOT the GPs ?? The cheepest option is clearly not the best.

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