Council supports challenge to Out of Hours GP service change
Councillors have agreed to write to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to oppose plans not to return a full GP Out of Hours service to Inverclyde.
At a meeting of the full council on Thursday 7 December 2023, councillors agreed to support Councillor Jim Clocherty’s motion, which was seconded by Councillor Tommy McVey.
Councillor Clocherty said the decision by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to continue with a Saturday-only Out of Hours GP service at the IRH was “unacceptable”.
He called on the health board to reinstate a GP Out of Hours centre seven days a week in Inverclyde.
He said: “Inverclyde has some of the most deprived areas in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area and we need a full Out of Hours GP service here to continue to provide the level of support our residents need and deserve.
“I am grateful to my colleagues on the council for supporting my motion and I urge the health board to listen to the views of the thousands of people who say we need a full Out of Hours service here in Inverclyde.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde conducted a survey into the delivery of Out of Hours Services, which closed on Monday 11 December 2023.
The full text of the motion reads:
We welcome the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the future of GP out of hours services in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board areas.
At meetings of the council on 16th February and 7th December, the council expressed its opposition to health board plans to permanently reduce the GP out of hours provision in Inverclyde.
We do not believe that NHSGGC’s proposal to make the current arrangement permanent meets the needs of patients in Inverclyde. It is unacceptable that services are to be consolidated on three sites that are very close to each other, while patients in Inverclyde face round trips of up to fifty miles in order to access out of hours treatment.
In proposing this new arrangement, we do not believe that Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board have adequately addressed the inequalities of access.
Permanently reducing the GP Out of Hours centre in Inverclyde – one of the most deprived areas in the Health Board region – is not in line with the Health Board’s aim of reducing health inequalities. Opposition to the Board’s proposals are widespread in the community with over 6,000 people signing a petition opposing them. We ask that the Board reinstates a GP Out of Hours centre seven days a week in Inverclyde to ensure equality of access across the Board area.
Changes to the GP Out of Hours service were brought in in February 2020 due to staffing issues and continued during the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is currently a service between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays and on public holidays, at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
If patients need to travel to see a GP outwith this time, the closest centre is at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
Councillor McVey said: “I don’t believe what the health board is proposing is good enough for the people of Inverclyde.
“I am pleased that my colleagues supported our motion and I hope Greater Glasgow and Clyde will listen to what we and the people of Inverclyde have to say on this.”
Members voted unanimously to support the motion to contribute to the online survey.
It was also agreed that the response would be written directly to the chair and chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The full council meeting is available to watch on the Inverclyde Council YouTube channel and associated papers are on the council website. See both links in the right hand column above.