Residents have raised concerns about the loss of skilled medics from towns across Aberdeenshire after the NHS confirmed the temporary closure of a base in Stonehaven.
People in the coastal town have described the closure of its dedicated G-Med cell at Kincardine Community Hospital as “dismaying and disappointing”.
The G-Med service operates from 6pm to 8am on weekdays and 24 hours during the weekend, and can have a pool of up to half-a-dozen drivers and 10 doctors ready to administer non-emergency care in their communities.
Robert Armstrong, who lives in Stonehaven, says people in the town are “devastated” and fear the move could become permanent.
He said: “It almost feels like they’re following on from the changes introduced last year when they put in a triage system meaning you don’t necessarily always get to see a GP at the centre now.
“Instead it’s a phone consultation and either a referral to NHS 111 or someone will ring you back to decide if you are going to get to see anyone at all.
“This latest closure feels like a step by step process in what appears to be a slide in NHS services locally.
“The feeling in the town is disappointment and dismay and I think people are anxious and worried they’re losing out-of-hours medical care.”
NHS Grampian confirmed it is in consultation with staff regarding the temporary closure of the Stonehaven G-Med centre and that, throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the service has successfully delivered more video link and telephone assessments.
A spokeswoman said: “This is a temporary strategy to ensure that we continue to deliver a responsive service during winter across the region to all our communities within the staff resource available.
“The G-Med bases do not operate in isolation. They operate as a network of health professionals. This flexible model allows teams to work together to provide cross cover across the region to match resources to patient demand as it arises.
“In previous years around 80% of contacts were dealt with face to face, that is home visits or centre consultation.
“Over the last few months, in response to Covid-19, G-Med has been able to successfully deliver far more telephone assessments and consultations over video link, with 30% of contacts being by face to face contact.
“The Stonehaven population will continue to receive a G-Med service most appropriate for each individual, through telephone consultation, video consulting and home visits.”
The health board insisted that no changes are afoot further north in Banchory, but staff there are believed to have been told doctors will be pulled from the G-Med rota and replaced with advanced nurse practitioners.
One member of staff there, who did not wish to be named, said: “We have been advised there will be a winter surge plan put in place. The proposal locally is that all G-Med out-of-hours care from our centre at Glen o Dee hospital in Banchory will be dealt with by advanced nurse practitioners.
“They do a great job, however they are not doctors.
“Effectively this means Deeside and Donside are being left without doctor cover and there are some things, like mental health issue call-outs, that need addressed by a doctor only.
“Staff have been told this is a temporary measure but reading between the lines it’s a cost-cutting measure as you can pay an advanced nurse practitioner a lot less than a doctor.
“If Deeside and Donside was left without anyone able to cover a psychiatric home call they would have to send someone from Aberdeen – which takes an hour. It makes it a nonsense trying to cover these areas from Aberdeen.
“If there’s nobody at Stonehaven they will send our lot from Banchory, leaving that area without cover. It’s robbing Peter to give to Paul.
“My main concern is they will be taking away clinicians and I don’t believe for a moment the public is being made aware of this.”
The staff member said doctors attended a meeting on Monday evening to discuss the proposals.
“They are not taking Banchory’s base away, but what they are doing is taking away the wealth of experience and knowledge we have had,” they added.
