Over 100 days of GP sessions not covered in the last 3 months

New research from Scottish Labour has found that more than 100 days’ worth of out of hours sessions for general practice were not staffed in the last 3 months.

An out of hours session is a GP covering a period outside of the normal working hours of 9 to 6. These sessions tend to be 3-4 hours long and with longer sessions through the night.

Information uncovered by Dr Richard Simpson found that there had been 826 unfilled sessions in the last 3 months.

Taking each session at three hours, these 2,478 hours of unfilled sessions equates to 103 full days.

In NHS Lanarkshire, where out of hours services have been reduced from 5 to 2 centres, there were 209 unfilled sessions.

In Tayside where the centres in Perth & Angus are partly closed there were 275 unfilled sessions

The news comes after a summer which has revealed a crisis in Scottish general practice, which saw:

• Investment in General Practice having fallen by over £1 billion since 2005/06.

• Around 2 million patients in Scotland served by understaffed and under resourced practices

• For the first time Scotland having less GP’s per head than the North East of England

• Scottish domiciled medical students entry cut by 15%  since 2008/09, reversing the trend of the previous Labour-led Scottish Government.

• More practices without GP partners and vacancies increasing for both partners and sessional doctors and now under direct Health Board control. More practices restricting new patient registration.

• One in five trainee GP posts vacant. 

Central Scotland Scottish Labour MSP Siobhan McMahon said: “GP surgeries are the first port of call for families in Lanarkshire but the truth of the matter is that under this SNP Government we are facing the biggest crisis in general practice for a generation.

“Our research suggests that more than twenty days’ worth of GP sessions have not been filled in the last three months in Lanarkshire

“Under the SNP Government we have seen a drop in funding totalling over £1 billion, fewer medical students, fewer trainee vacancies being filled and now fewer out of hours sessions being staffed.

“This problem is only going to get worse in the next decade and SNP Ministers need to get to grips with it.

“Action now is vital because general practice in trouble will affect every part of our NHS, from missed waiting times for mental health to increasing pressure on A&E because people can’t see a local doctor. These figures reflect the situation in the middle of summer; if it is still this bad in winter we will begin to see real problems.

“Since the SNP came to power they have squeezed health spending in Scotland harder than the Tories in England and our communities are feeling the effects.” 

 

 

GP Out of Hours FOI

Question 1) How many GP out of hours centres do/did you operate in (a) 2013/2014, (b)2014/2015 and (c) currently

Question 2) What is the normal number of GP sessions expected to cover the centre each week in (a) 2013/2014, (b)2014/2015 and (c) currently

Question 3) How many out of hours GP sessions have you been unable to fill in the last three months by centre

“Scottish GP surgery teams carrying out an estimated 24.2 million consultations each year — an 11% rise over ten years.  At the same time, the share of NHS funding spent on general practice in Scotland has been falling year on year. The GP percentage has fallen from 9.8% in 2005/06 to a record low of 7.8% in 2012/13. This drop has led to a real terms cumulative loss of investment of £1.1 billion into Scottish general practice compared to a scenario where funding had remained at 9.8%.”Research from the Royal College of General Practitioners has shown that investment in GP services has fallen by a cumulative total of over £1 billion since 2005/6, with demand rising by over 10% during the same time period.

Source: http://bit.ly/1ew9qyb

Saving lives is an important business

Siobhan with fellow MSP and Deputy Presiding Officer Elaine Smith, Louise Peardon, of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, Ben McKendrick of the British Heart Foundation, Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator Charles Fawcett, and local pupils

I was delighted that I was able to use my first Members’ Business Debate in the Scottish Parliament to highlight the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) “Heartstart” campaign to introduce Emergency Life Support training in schools throughout Scotland. Coverage of the debate can be viewed on Democracy Live, and the speeches can be read in full on the Scottish Parliament’s Official Report. I would like to thank Ben McKendrick, of the British Heart Foundation, and Charles Fawcett, of Healthy Lifestyles Scotland, for helping to organise the debate.

The debate was well attended by fellow members across all parties, and there was a large degree of consensus regarding the general principles of the motion and the BHF’s campaign.

Thanks to a lot of hard work by a number of individuals, there are already some excellent examples of ELS training models in Scotland, and, as a Central Scotland MSP, I am proud to say that at the vanguard of these is the North Lanarkshire Heartstart scheme, led locally by the Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator Charles Fawcett.

Established in 2008, the North Lanarkshire programme provides ongoing support and advice for schools on ELS training, with support from, amongst others, the British Heart Foundation and St Andrew’s Ambulance Association.

A model piloted in St Ambrose High School in Coatbridge and other North Lanarkshire schools provides instruction in ELS techniques and trains pupils to act as peer tutors. I was fortunate enough to meet some of these pupils, namely Vicky McDowell, Monica Berry, Gemma Daly, Lauren Owens, and Kerryn Breen, at the event in Holyrood last month, hosted by my colleague Helen Eadie MSP. They exhibited great skill and knowledge in demonstrating a range of ELS techniques, including how to use a defibrillator, a vital piece of life saving equipment.

Thanks to the hard work and commitment of a number of partner agencies, not least North Lanarkshire Council, Emergency Life Support training is now available in 90% of North Lanarkshire’s schools – a shining example to the rest of the country.

Emergency Life Support training is hugely popular with pupils, parents and teachers; adheres with the aims and spirit of the Curriculum for Excellence; it is cost-effective, and, crucially, it can, it will, save lives. I hopethat other councils will follow North Lanarkshire Council’s lead and ensure that ELS training is available in schools throughout Scotland.

Campaign for smoke-free homes

I am fully behind a Lanarkshire-wide campaign to encourage smoke-free homes and cars.

The campaign, which is being promoted by local health organisation Getting Better Together, encourages parents, grandparents and carers to make simple lifestyle changes to protect children and young people from the harmful effects of secondary smoke.

 Smokers are urged to sign up to pledges such as “I choose not to smoke in front of my children”; or “I choose to have a smoke-free home”.

Volunteers will visit local primary schools and nurseries to educate parents, grandparents and carers about the benefits of smoke-free homes. Those that choose to quit smoking will be given access to help and advice.

The harmful effects of tobacco are well documented, and research has shown that children who live in houses where someone smokes at least once a day are exposed to 7 times more smoke than those who live in non-smoking households.

What this campaign highlights is that a few simple lifestyle choices can greatly reduce the threat to children of second hand smoke. I believe that we should work towards a society in which the attitude to exposing children to smoke is similar to that of exposing them to alcohol – that it is simply not acceptable.

Time to reign in excessive salaries

 

Given the recent swathe of voluntary redundancies and the well publicised travails of NHS Lanarkshire’s 3 Accident and Emergency departments, I was surprised and somewhat disappointed to learn of the high salaries being paid to NHS Lanarkshire’s executive board members.

10 board members are paid a combined annual total of £1.69million – a sum exceeded only by NHS Lothian, and well in excess of that paid by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, whose board members collect .

Whilst a case can be made for highly skilled clinicians to receive a good salary, it is less easy to justify the number of Executives and Board Members earning in excess of £100,000.

Moreover,  I cannot understand why NHS Lanarkshire has 4 more Executives and Board Members on over £100,000 than Glasgow, especially given that Glasgow has more than 3 times the number of senior clinicians in the highest salary bracket – 920 compared to Lanarkshire’s 253.

 It seems that the salary structure in NHS Lanarkshire is weighted more towards the management than the medical staff.

 No one objects to individuals being well paid when they produce good results, but given the staffing shortages in Accident and Emergency and Mental Health within NHS Lanarkshire, I am not convinced that this is in fact the case. I will be meeting with senior management over the next few weeks and will certainly seek their views on this issue.

See me for Scottish Mental Health Week

Siobhan showing her support for Mental Health Charity See me

I have pledged my support to Mental Health charity See me, ahead of Scottish Mental Health Week (10^th-16^th October). See me is a Government funded charity which campaigns to end the stigma that surrounds mental health illness, and to alter public attitudes and behaviour towards those with mental health problems.

Around 1 in 4 Scots will suffer from mental health issues at some point in their lives, and over 3 quarters of us know someone with a mental health problem. However, despite these figures, over half of those with mental health issues continue to suffer stigma and discrimination, some at the hands of friends and family members.

Mental health problems are the cause of great misery and suffering in our society, yet they remain dogged by stigma and prejudice. The factors that can affect an individual’s mental wellbeing include physiology, age, gender, and social, employment and financial status. Stress, anxiety and low self-esteem are also contributing factors, as are substance addiction and alcoholism.

 The burden of mental health problems is not divided equally across society, but borne disproportionately by those who live in areas of social deprivation. This includes many communities in Central Scotland.  We all want to live in a caring and compassionate society; and recent evidence shows that the healthiest and most equal societies are also the happiest. So if we are to address the issue of mental health we must also address the chronic inequalities present in society.

There are many different approaches to tackling mental health, but they all have the same starting point: recognising the reality and severity of the condition.  That is why the educational work undertaken by See me is of critical importance; by promoting greater understanding we can help end the stigma that surrounds mental illness and to empower those with mental health issues to become full and active members of society.

Seeing Coeliac

Sioban with members of Coeliac UK

The Parliament was recently visited by members of Coeliac UK, an organisation committed to promoting greater awareness of Coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease affects 1 in 100 people across Europe. A lifelong condition that can be diagnosed at any age, Coeliac disease is neither an allergy nor a food intolerance, but is caused by a reaction in the imune system to gluten – a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Symptoms range from mild to severe,  including bloating, diarrhoea, tiredness, mouth ulcers, headaches, depression, and weight loss. Sufferers from any of these symptoms are advised to contact their GP to arrange a blood test.

The good news is that treating Coeliac disease is straighforward: simply cut gluten out of the diet. A gluten free diet can include fruit, vegetables, rice, corn, potatoes, meat, fish and cheese.

Work is currently in progress to improve labelling on food products to ensure that the presence of gluten is made clearly visible. For more information, visit the Coeliac UK website.

Wear it pink to beat breast cancer

I joined fellow MSPs to take part in a photo shoot to raise publicity for Breast Cancer Campaign’s wear it pink day.

This year’s award winning fundraising event will take place on 28^th October, when people in schools, colleges and businesses throughout the country will get   decked out and pink and donate £2 to breast cancer research.

Over 41,000 women and 150 men in Scotland have suffered from some form of breast cancer. Like many others, I know people who have lost friends and family members to the disease.  It remains one of the most common forms of cancer, but no less serious or deadly for that, especially if not detected early, and the more money that is dedicated to breast cancer research the better the survival rates of those that are affected by it.

 That is why I am urging everyone to support wear it pink day by getting involved and helping to raise awareness amongst family and friends.

Work out at Work!

Being put through my paces!

I was an enthusiastic participant in the recent “Workout at Work” at the Scottish Parliament.

The event, organised by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, gave MSPs and staff the opportunity to learn how to remain fit and flexible during the working day.

Like most people in the modern working world, I spend most of my time behind a desk. Gone are the days of heavy industry, shipbuilding and mass agriculture, when many people worked in tough environments – frequently outdoors – in occupations that were physically demanding.

Whilst this is in some ways a good thing, we have, as a nation, failed to adapt to this new way of working. We still eat food that is high in calories, but, unlike previous generations, we no longer burn it off. Allied to a general lack of exercise in our leisure time, this lifestyle is not conducive to high levels of health and fitness, and these are trends that permeate all levels of society.

The Workout at Work day helped us to see how we can all do more exercise without disrupting our working days. I learned a range of simple exercises and stretches that will enable me to avoid injuries, improve my posture, and improve my fitness, without stepping foot outside the office.

Now I just have to remember to do them!

Report shows shortage of staff at Monklands

I was extremely concerned by the recent report from NHS Lanarkshire that revealed the extent of the staffing shorthall at Monklands A&E, and indeed across NHS Lanarkshire.

The report described the situation at Lanarkshire’s 3 Emergency Medicine Departments – at Monklands, Haimyres and Wishaw General – as “very fluid and vulnerable”, with the position within Monklands A&E referred to as “particularly fragile”.

Whilst I was alarmed at the scope and scale of the staffing shortfall, it is important to emphasize that the concerns raised in the report are not new. NHS Lanarkshire knew in 2007 that it lacked the resources to sustain existing Accident and Emergency services; yet, despite the clear and ongoing impact this has had on patient care, over the past four years Nicola Sturgeon has failed to invest the additional £50 million that NHS Lanarkshire said was needed to maintain all three A&Es.

 This failure did not prevent Alex Neil from spending his entire election campaign scaremongering about Monklands A&E; but, once again, neither he nor Nicola Sturgeon promised to find the money to deal with the problem they caused, and the response from NHS Lanarkshire, which actively discouraged people from using A&E departments, is truly alarming.

NHS Lanarkshire clearly needs help to find a financial solution to the difficulties caused by this SNP Government, and I intend to meet with NHS Lanarkshire Chief Executive Tim Davison at the earliest opportunity. I have also written to Nicola Sturgeon to find out what action she is taking to address the challenges facing NHS Lanarkshire.