Patients told to contact hospital from car park

Patients told to contact hospital from car park

18 July 2018

CONCERNS have been raised over walk-in patients being “turned away” from the GP out of hours service in Downpatrick.

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said leaflets were being handed out to patients, advising them to ring Downe Hospital before attending in person.

He said this led to a “farcical” process of patients returning to their cars at the hospital and ringing the surgery metres away.

“I fully understand and appreciate that there needs to be a form of triage at the service and welcome and appreciate the hard work and dedication of the staff at this facility – but it is counter-intuitive that a health facility turns people away and directs them to a phone rather than providing them with a service or a waiting area to stay in until they are seen,” Mr McGrath said.

“While it may work in many, if not the majority, of cases, I worry for the person at the start of a heart attack or stroke condition who arrives only to be turned away.

“I am concerned too that the telephone service enables the more ‘dramatic’ and more capable of describing symptoms to be prioritised over others. The shy and inhibited patient might not want to use a phone but understands the concept of attending a GP surgery.”

Mr McGrath said he believed the system to be another symptom of a faltering health service.

“Our health system is broke,” he said. “It is filled with capable, caring and compassionate staff but on the 70th anniversary of the NHS is it really a celebration that people who turn up for care are turned away, given a leaflet and told to ring in instead?

 “The irony too is many simply can go to the car park and ring using a mobile phone – this can make the process farcical.

“If people are prioritised, triaged, and need to wait before being seen then so be it – but people power pays for the NHS so let people decide if they want to wait or not.

“I have contacted the Trust and asked for an explanation for the change in this procedure at the Downe which suffers enough from rural isolation and distance from service. A final thought is always – would this be accepted in Belfast?”

A spokeswoman for the South Eastern Trust said: “It has always been the protocol across all GP out of hours services that patients should always telephone first before arriving at the unit to seek advice or, where appropriate, an appointment to attend to be seen and treated.  

“It is patients with potentially serious conditions, for example, heart attacks or strokes who cause us concern when they present themselves to a service which is not best placed to provide the most appropriate care for them. These patients need to be directed to an appropriate facility, often by ambulance.

“This is why we use telephone triage to ensure that patients contact us as soon as they feel unwell and they can be properly directed to a facility which is able to manage their condition. There have been instances when patients have self-presented to the GP out of hours service or minor injuries service at the Downe Hospital with conditions which the service is not equipped to manage. 

“It is therefore imperative that the local population understand that they are best served by contacting the GP out of hours service in advance and they can have a conversation with a doctor who will advise on the best way to manage their condition.”