Statement by TUV Foyle candidate Elizabeth Neely:
“Today’s statement by the Royal College of GPs in Northern Ireland that the phone first system adopted at the start of the pandemic is “here to stay” will concern many. The challenges which many people face in getting a face to face appointmentwith the doctor they know and trust is one of the issues most frequently raised on the doorsteps. One would not suggest for a moment that there isn’t severe pressure on the system, indeed it already appears to have gone beyond the point of breaking but the solution to the challenges faced by patients and GPs in the long term cannot be a continuation of the pandemic model.
“People do not receive the service they have come to expect from GPs with many having to spend long periods of time on the phone only to discover that all appointments have already gone.
“There are no easy answers to this challenge. Solutions will take years of forward planning to find. One matter worth considering is placing graduates in medicine in “golden handcuffs”. By that I mean graduates in medicine, and nursing for that matter, from Ulster and Queen’s should have their university tuition fees paid in full if they are still working in Northern Ireland five years after graduating. By that point they will have put down roots in the community and are likely to stay in Northern Ireland long term.
“A readily accessible GP service will have a knock on impact to the benefitof the rest of the health service. Often serious medical issues such as cancer first come to light because of an appointment with a GP. Early diagnoses in such cases is vital in improving survival chances. Equally, easy access to GPs will free up some of the pressure on A & Es across the country.
“With all the squander which Stormont excels at surely it isn’t too much to ask that money is funnelled into addressing the long term issues surrounding the lack of staff in the health service?”