The aim of the event, to be held in Glenelg Hall on Monday January 30, is to help Mid Highland Community Health Partnership (CHP) – the part of NHS Highland responsible for Glenelg and Arnisdale – find a safe and sustainable model for local health services.
A review of services in the area is being carried out following the secondment of one of the local GPs who applied for and was granted a secondment with the Scottish Government for the next two years.
A working group was established in the summer to look at in hours, out of hours and emergency and immediate care aspects of the services. In the meantime, locum GPs are covering the vacancy.
The work done to date by the working group includes an analysis of activity, a risk and impact assessment and the identification of a range of options. These were discussed by the Mid Highland CHP Management Team on November 2.
The management team felt that further work needed to be carried out by the working group and further engagement with local people was required.
Community representatives and staff from relevant organisations will be invited to attend the workshop on January 30 and those who attend will take part in a non-financial appraisal session to find out which option best meets the criteria identified as important by local people. Costs will not be taken into consideration at this stage.
This work will follow at a later date.
Locality General Manager, Alison Phimister, said: “No decisions on options have been made at this stage. It is very important that we hear the views of those involved in or interested in health services in the Glenelg and Arnisdale area.
“The working groups will then use this information to refine the proposals and will bring these back to the CHP management team in February.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
The options being considered so far are -
The Primary Care in-hours options
1. Status Quo: based on the current model of service.
2. Provide GP appointments at Glenelg surgery four days per week including a Community Nursing clinic to take forward Long Term Condition management, Anticipatory care and Supported Self Management. The practice would be closed one day per week with calls being triaged by an adjacent salaried practice.
3. Provide GP appointments at Glenelg surgery three days per week. The practice would be closed two days per week with calls being triaged by an adjacent salaried practice.
4. Provide GP appointments at Glenelg surgery three days per week with a Community Nursing clinic provided on the fourth day each week to take forward Long Term Condition management, Anticipatory care and Supported Self Management. The practice would be closed one day per week with calls being triaged by an adjacent salaried practice.
5. Provide GP appointments at Glenelg surgery three days per week including a Community Nursing clinic to take forward Long Term Condition management, Anticipatory care and Supported Self Management. The practice would be closed two days per week with calls being triaged by an adjacent salaried practice.
The Primary Care out of hours options
1. Status Quo: based on the current model of service.
2. All out of hours is covered from MacKinnon Memorial Hospital (MMH) accessed via NHS24 and provided by the Rural Practitioner service
3. The part time GP continues to provide OOH primary care cover when on duty for the in-hours service. When the in hours GP is not on Duty the OOH service is provided as per option 2.
The Emergency and Immediate Care options
1. Status Quo: Based on the current model of service which includes a first response by the locally based GP.
2. Based on the current model of service but without the first response by the local GP.
3. As per option 2 plus the mobilisation of additional emergency and immediate care response i.e. improved landing sites for air ambulance, enhanced rapid access for the SAS personnel via Lifeboats at landing sites along the coast.
4. As per option 3 with the involvement of the part time GP when on duty for the in-hours service.
