Doctors under ‘no obligation’ to work out-of-hours shifts

OUT-of-hours (OOH) practices are struggling to fill voluntary doctor roles, largely due to the demanding nature of complex day shifts, it was revealed at the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) health and social services sub-committee meeting last week.

In a presentation to the committee, the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) displayed new statistics showing that 70 per-cent of patients receive advice via phone or video call, 26 per-cent require a base visit, and only four per-cent necessitate a home visit.

The SPPG highlighted the significant challenges in populating the GP rota for OOH services. The root causes are that doctors are not contractually required to fill these roles, coupled with a growing emphasis on work-life balance and the pressures of complex day shifts.

However, Cllr Debbie Coyle raised concerns about the lack of available staff, citing instances where patients were unable to receive care.

“Why wouldn’t GPs be contracted to work OOH even if it were once or twice a month, because a majority of nurses and doctors do weekends and night shifts?

“Last weekend there was at least two people who couldn’t get any help at all during the night,” she stated.

Cllr Coyle warned that the lack of OOH doctors forces patients into emergency rooms unnecessarily.

She continued, “This means that people end up in A&E when they shouldn’t be. Are there any plans to change so that there is an OOH doctor available at all times?”

In response, Pat Brolly from SPPG explained that the voluntary nature of OOH roles stems from a 2004 UK-wide contract, which removed the obligation for doctors to provide these services.

“It is a voluntary service the GPs are free to apply for if they wish, but there is no compulsion or obligation from the 2004 UK-wide contract for them to fill it,” Mr Brolly clarified.

He also noted there are no current plans to amend this contract.