Outpatients to be shifted from hospitals

Uninviting outpatients sign - credit Michael Coghlan

A new strategy has been launched which aims to relieve pressure on hospitals by giving patients who do not need an overnight stay faster and more local access to care.

Significantly more routine follow-up appointments can be made in community settings, according to the Scottish Government.

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Health Secretary Shona Robison said the plans came alongside a commitment to increase the primary care funding to 11 per cent of NHS spend.

She added: “However, I am clear that this is not about giving more work to GPs or community nurses. Underpinning this plan is an aim for our community and hospital professionals to work more closely together, reducing unnecessary waste in the system and getting people seen by the right professional first time around.”

Professional groups will be consulted on the proposals.

BMA Scotland chair Dr Peter Bennie welcomed the strategy but warned it represented “significant change”.

“While there is broad political consensus around moves to provide more healthcare in community based settings, it is essential that this process does not simply move pressures from one part of the NHS to another,” he said.

“In particular, it would be entirely unsustainable if this process led to an increase in workload for already overburdened General Practice. Avoiding this must be a key priority in the development of these plans.”

The plans could move many allied health professionals like physiotherapists and podiatrists out of a hospital setting.

Edward Dunstan, Director Of Surgery, NHS Fife and Chair of the Scottish Committee for Orthopaedics and Trauma said: “With ever increasing demand, traditional ways of doing things must be challenged. Technology enabled care and the use of allied health professionals are pivotal to this change of mind-set.

“The historical referral patterns need to be challenged with care closer to home. Only those patients who need to be seen in the hospital setting should be seen there.”