Face-to-face GP appointments in Scotland 'still feel like a treat'

Nightclubs have reopened, concerts have been given the go-ahead and football stadiums are welcoming fans - but there are still restrictions on face-to-face GP consultations.

Only a limited number of patients are being invited into surgeries, where there continue to be strict rules on physical distancing.

Edinburgh GP Dr Carey Lunan says she understands why the situation is confusing.

"The difference between a healthcare setting and, say, a restaurant or a football stadium, is that we have people coming into our building who are much more vulnerable and frail and don't have a choice in being unwell," she tells BBC Scotland.

"So we have to have higher levels of safety than a setting where people can choose to go, knowing that there may be a little bit of risk."

According to the British Medical Association's Dr Andrew Buist, the balance between telephone and in-person consultations should continue to adjust as we move out of the pandemic, guided by evidence.

But many patients will "very easily" have their needs met by phone appointments. So-called telephone triage - where patients are assessed over the phone before being invited into the building - has now become the norm.

"For a lot of patients it works really well if it's a simple problem and it means not having to take time off work or travel," says Dr Lunan.

"It works less well if English isn't their first language or they've not got the privacy at home to have a conversation about something that is a bit more sensitive, if it's a very complex issue or it's just not clear what the diagnosis is."

She adds: "We deal with things when someone comes in with problem A, but actually we end up having a conversation about problem B when they are in the room with us.

"It is much more challenging to do that kind of health care on the phone and I think we just need to be honest that there are limitations.

Dr Lunan says she hopes a return to more face-to-face appointments will come "in the not too distant future. I miss seeing patients if I'm honest," she says.

"When we get to the point where we are able to bring in more people we will welcome that because it feels like a treat at the moment."

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Source: BBC News, 25 January 2022