GP OOH Consultation

GP Out-of-Hours Consultation Response Questionnaire (Easy Read version)

Easy Read Version

June 2012

Consultation Response Questionnaire (Easy Read Version) (Easy

2 Consultation Response Questionnaire (Easy Read Version) (Easy

This document is an easy read version of the “GP Out-of-Hours Consultation Response Questionnaire”. It is based on our plans for GP Out-of-Hours services. Public meetings will also be held.

This document gives you information about GP Out-of-Hours services and a list of useful words explaining some of the terms used.

It gives information about our ideas for GP Out-of-Hours. You can give us your comments on each idea.

When we say “we”, we mean the Health and Social Care Board.

You might like to have someone to help you when you look at this document.

Contents

Useful words...... 4 Background information...... 5 Current GP Out-of-Hours services...... 6 Let’s look at the ideas for GP Out-of-Hours...... 7 Your views...... 8 About you...... 9 Idea 1 – Simplifying access to GP Out-of-Hours...... 10 Idea 2 – Improving how we work...... 10 Idea 3 – Improving how we work with other healthcare services...... 12 Appendix 1 - Freedom of Information Act 2000...... 15 Appendix 2 – Equality Issues...... 15

Useful words

This list tells you the meanings of some of the words as we use them in this document.

GP A GP is a doctor who usually works during the day in a health centre or GP Surgery.

GP Out-of- GP Out-of-Hours is a service for when you feel unwell Hours and you need to contact a GP when your GP surgery is not open.

Mutual This is an organisation that does not make any money organisation for profit.

Out-of- A health service building where you can go out-of- Hours hours if you need to be seen by a doctor. centre Ideas The changes we think we should make to improve GP Out-of-Hours.

Background information

When your GP Surgery is closed and you feel unwell and cannot wait until your GP Surgery is next open you can contact GP Out-of- Hours. This is usually after 6pm during the week, all day Saturday, all day Sunday and all day during bank holidays.

The person taking your call in the GP Out-of-Hours service will ask your name, address, telephone or textphone number and why you are calling. A doctor or nurse will check how urgent your call is and deal with the most urgent calls first.

GP Out-of-Hours may do one of the following: Give you advice Ask you to travel Arrange for a over the to a local Out-of- doctor to visit telephone Hours centre to you see a doctor or nurse

If GP Out-of-Hours cannot deal with your condition you will be told of another service. Other services may include:

Phone 999 for Go to an Refer you to emergency calls Emergency district nursing, that could be life Department or social services, threatening Minor Injury Unit mental health service etc

In an emergency, where it is felt that an ambulance is required, patients should continue to telephone 999 directly. GP Out-of-Hours is not an emergency service and when you require advice from GP Out-of-Hours, we ask that you telephone first.

Current GP Out-of-Hours services

There are five organisations providing seven GP Out-of-Hours services. The Health and Social Care Board buys GP Out-of-Hours services from these organisations. Some of these organisations are Health and Social Care Trusts and others are ‘not for profit’ mutual organisations.

These organisations are shown in the table below.

Buyer Provider Provider organisation type

Western Urgent Care 1 Mutual organisation

Southern Health and 1 Health and Social Social Care Trust Care Trust Health and Social Care Belfast Health and Social 1 Health and Social Board Care Trust Care Trust (formerly 2 services) South Eastern Health and 1 Health and Social Social Care Trust Care Trust (formerly 2 services) Dalriada Urgent Care 1 Mutual organisation

These organisations receive over 500,000 calls a year from patients. There are usually lots of calls after 6pm, on a Saturday and Sunday morning and during bank holidays. After 10pm there are a lot fewer calls.

These organisations have their own telephone and textphone numbers, call centres and staff.

Let’s look at the ideas for GP Out-of-Hours

A review of GP Out-of-Hours services was completed. We want to improve GP Out-of-Hours by making some changes. We are seeking your views on each of the ideas for GP Out-of-Hours.

There are 3 ideas for the future of GP Out-of-Hours.

 Each idea is explained as follows:

The idea Information on what the idea means Your chance to tell us what you think

 You do not have to tell us what you think but it is helpful to us if you do.

Where to get more information:

If you want to know more you can read the full-length Strategic Framework in the Consultations section at http://www.hscboard.hscni.net

GP Out-of-Hours also has a website www.gpoutofhours.hscni.net

Your views

To tell us your views on the Strategic Framework for GP Out-of- Hours please complete the following questions. The questions can be completed by yourself or on behalf of a group or organisation. You can respond by e-mail or letter.

The consultation finishes at 4.30pm on Friday 28th September 2012.

Please return your response using the contact details below. Let us know if you require the documents in another format or language. E-mail: [email protected]

Written: Dr Sloan Harper (GP Out-of-Hours Consultation) Health and Social Care Board Headquarters 12 – 22 Linenhall Street Belfast BT2 8BS

Telephone: (028) 9032 1313

Textphone: 18001 028 9032 1313

Fax: (028) 9055 3622

About you

Please tell us if you are responding on your own behalf or for an organisation by placing a tick in the appropriate box:

I am responding on behalf of: myself a group or organisation

Name: Job Title: Organisation: Address:

Telephone:

Textphone:

E-mail:

May we contact you should we need to ask any questions about your response?

Yes or No (please tick a box)

Have you used a GP Out-of-Hours service in the last 12 months? Yes or No (please tick a box)

Idea 1 – Simplifying access to GP Out-of-Hours

What this means

 1 telephone and textphone number will replace the existing 7 telephone and textphone numbers for GP Out-of-Hours services.

 This should make it easier for people to contact GP Out-of-Hours if they need to.

 We will put in place better computer and telephone systems to support this change.

 We may need more staff to take calls at busy times and less staff at quieter times. Do you think this is a good idea?

Yes or No Is there anything you would like to say about this idea?

If you do not agree then please tell us why and if you have other ideas please let us know what these are.

(Please use another page if you need more space.)

Idea 2 – Improving how we work

What this means

 We may use more nurses instead of GPs to assess your call and see patients. This helps us to improve how quickly we answer your call and to save some money to spend on the service to make it better.

 We will see if we can improve how we deal with your calls in line with the standards for GP Out-of-Hours. Do you think this is a good idea?

Idea 3 – Improving how we work with other healthcare services

What this means

 We will work more closely with other services such as Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to deal with appropriate calls.

 If you need to be seen by a GP you will still be able to be seen in your local Out-of-Hours centre.

 We will see if we can work with other healthcare services such as Social Services Out-of-Hours to take and refer calls. Do you think this is a good idea?

Equality

We checked out proposals for equality and human rights. A full copy of the screening exercise is included as part of this consultation exercise. A summary of the outcomes is in Appendix 2.

Are you satisfied with the content of the screening exercise and outcomes?

Yes No

If no please provide details.

If you have any suggestions how we could better promote equality of opportunity, human rights or good relations let us know?

Further comments

If you have any other comments or suggestions on GP Out-of- Hours or on our equality and human rights screening please let us know what these are.

Comments:

Thank you. 15 Consultation Response Questionnaire (Easy Read Version) (Easy

Appendix 1 - Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) will publish a summary of responses after the consultation is finished. Your response, and all other responses to the consultation, may be made available under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Appendix 2 – Equality Issues

Our proposals will improve the GP Out-of-Hours service and will not impact negatively on persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, persons with or without a disability, and persons with or without dependants.

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