First Minister Announces Health Shake Up
Local GPs in Scotland will soon be able to offer treatments currently only available in hospital.
Nicola Sturgeon’s confirmed a significant shake up which will see ten health centres across the country form community care teams.
It’s in an effort to treat patients closer to home.
The ten tests sites – which will run for two years – will be in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, Tayside, Forth Valley, Campbeltown, West Lochaber, Islay, Mid Argyll and Clackmannanshire.
They will test different ways of delivering healthcare including:
• Local surgeries working together for faster appointments • GPs and health professionals, such as physiotherapists, working together in multidisciplinary teams so patients see the right professional quickly • Local centres providing treatments which patients currently have to travel to hospital to receive including short stay in patient beds for assessment and treatment.
Two of the test sites will also trial a new type of doctor to head up the multidisciplinary teams.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“People deserve the very best treatment at the right time and in the right place and that’s as close to home as possible.
“We have already taken steps to integrate health and social care and now transforming our GP services and local health centres is the next step. That means you will see the professional who can best help you and, in some cases, your local GP will soon offer the type of treatments that previously only hospitals could deliver.
“I can confirm that ten test sites will run over the next two years so we can see the most effective way to introduce these new ways of delivering community based healthcare across Scotland.
“Nobody wants to go into hospital if they don’t have to and with these new plans, people will see a better service and be able to be treated in the local community.
“This is good for patients and good for the NHS – GPs in particular will see their role develop in a significant way.”