Swansea GP Out of Hours Service is moving

Friday, 6 August 2010
Swansea's GP Out of Hours Service is moving to Morriston Hospital on 1st November 2010.
 
UPDATE: The GP Out of Hours Service will move to Morriston Hospital on 1st November, 2010.
 
UPDATE: On 21st September, ABM Community Health Council agreed that this move can go ahead without formal consultation because of the strong clinical case put forward for the change. See: Statement by ABM Chief Executive David Sissling in response to ABM CHC meeting
 

Swansea's GP Out of Hours Service is moving its base from Singleton to Morriston Hospital

 
At present the GPOOH service is situated at Singleton Hospital. But doctors believe there are sound clinical reasons to move the service to Morriston Hospital, where the city’s main A&E unit is based.
 
These reasons include additional benefits for patients – including being seen more quickly; extra support for A&E services; a more seamless unscheduled care system and a practical way of dealing with ongoing national medical staffing shortages.  
 
GP Ashok Rayani, Chief Executive of the Swansea GPOOH, said:
 
“We believe transferring the Out of Hours service to Morriston will be in the best overall interest of patient care.
 
“Having GPs on the same site as A&E clinicians will help us develop a better and more joined up unscheduled care service, and ensure patients are rapidly assessed and treated by the most appropriate clinician.
 
“Patients would be streamed at the front door of A&E and those who have more minor illnesses and injuries could be seen quickly by GPs, freeing up A&E doctors to deal with the patients who need their specialist skills.”
 
Swansea GP Charlotte Jones said:
“Over June and July we have tested this by having one of our GPs on site at Morriston A&E, and it has been very encouraging. Already benefits are beginning to show.
 
“There are also clinical advantages in having the Out of Hours Service at the same site as the city’s paediatric wards. This is because a substantial proportion of our night-time and weekend cases are sick children.”
 
Dr Jane Harrison, ABM’s Assistant Medical Director (Primary Care) said:
 
“We have looked closely at the post codes of the patients who currently travel to Singleton to access the GPOOH service, and the majority actually live closer to Morriston Hospital than Singleton. So while some patients may have a short extra distance to travel, for the majority, it will mean improved access.”
 
ABM’s Medical Director, Dr Bruce Ferguson, added:
 
“Having emergency staff on the same site as GPs will provide an even safer service for patients, and there are other benefits, too.
 
“For example, we have already announced plans to move emergency and complex surgery to Morriston Hospital in the autumn, and having the GPOOH service on site will support this, as it will offer emergency patients a more seamless service.
 
“Closer working between GPs and A&E staff under one roof will encourage even better teamwork, which in turn will nurture the further development of Swansea’s unscheduled care services.
 
“And like other Health Boards and NHS Trusts across the UK, we are continuing to suffer from medical staffing problems, particularly in specialities like A&E.  Having GPs working alongside A&E clinicians will be very supportive and enable patients to get the appropriate care they need more quickly.”
 
The Health Board has been considering the impact of moving the GPOOH service on the Minor Injury Unit (MIU) at Singleton Hospital. This is currently manned from 8am – 8pm by GPs, and run after hours and at weekends by GPs from the GPOOHS alongside their Out of Hours duties.
  
Current figures show that an average of 37 patients use the MIU at Singleton between 8am and 8pm.
 
Overnight however, between 8pm and 8am, the numbers of MIU patients reduce to an average of 7 per night.
 
Whilst the relocation of the GPOOH service will mean that there will no longer be access to a Minor Injuries Unit overnight the Health Board is committed to retaining the MIU facility at Singleton between 8am and 8pm seven days a week which is its busiest time. This facility would also support Singleton Hospital’s growing ambulatory care role.
 
The transfer of the GPOOH service to Morriston is expected to take place this autumn, in line with the move of emergency and complex surgery to Morriston Hospital.  This will ensure that the new arrangements have settled down before the Christmas period when traditionally demand on unscheduled care services increases.
 
 
 
 
Source: Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board