New Covid rules threat to GP appointments in Scotland

New guidance for patients with respiratory symptoms will reduce the number of people who can be seen face-to-face by GPs, doctors have warned.

Plans to screen every patient into respiratory or non-respiratory pathways at GP surgeries are to come into force from 13 December.

But BMA Scotland has warned the new process will reduce the time available to see patients in person.

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scottish ministers will listen to GPs' concerns.

Under the new guidance, every patient requiring a face-to-face appointment at a GP surgery will be asked nine questions by reception staff when they make an appointment on the phone or turn up in person.

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Dr Andrew Buist, chairman of BMA Scotland GP committee, told BBC Scotland asking the nine questions will take about two minutes.

He added: "Two minutes doesn't sound like much but already patients are complaining it is difficult to get through to a surgery so it is going to slow down that process for a start.

"We see one million patients each month face-to-face in our GP surgeries, I don't think we can maintain that if we're having to do this new process.

"The experts might tell us this is the right thing to do, in that case we need to tell the public.

"It shouldn't be me telling the public - a very senior person in the Scottish government needs to explain to the public what is happening and why it will be more difficult to get an appointment with your GP."

Dr Andrew Buist, of BMA Scotland, says many GP surgeries do not have the physical space to split patients into two groups as the new guidance advises

Dr Buist said plans to wind down a network of Covid Assessment Centres, which have been the triage point for people with symptoms of the virus, and send people to GP surgeries instead should be reviewed.

He warned: "Patients with Covid symptoms will be forced to go to the GP and will be sitting only a few metres apart from people with other medical problems."

Community doctors have previously warned they are facing unprecedented demand as the frontline in the pandemic and a backlog in patients with other medical issues.

Keeping Covid out of surgeries

Speaking as she got her Covid booster jab in Glasgow, the first minister said: "We'll do everything we can to support GPs, we'll listen to their concerns about the questionnaire to see whether that can be made any easier and whether there can be greater flexibility.

"What this questionnaire is about is trying to ensure that we keep Covid cases, as far as we can, out of GP practices to minimise potential outbreaks and to keep GP practices open as much as possible."

Ms Sturgeon said the change in guidance was part of a number of measures aimed at "trying to keep the health service functioning" during winter and the pandemic.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, who is also a working GP, said: "This added bureaucracy is unnecessary and will reduce the number of patients that GPs can see.

"The impact on access to GPs will understandably frustrate patients - but it will be NHS staff on the receiving end of their anger, not the SNP government introducing these guidelines.

"The guidelines will also be impossible for some smaller health centres and surgeries to follow, because they don't physically have separate waiting rooms for respiratory and non-respiratory patients."