Falkirk GPs back plans to make doctors' surgeries 'fit for the future'
dailyrecord.co.ukA Falkirk area GP has urged support for plans that will transform doctors surgeries into hubs where lots of healthcare professionals will work together.
The principle of creating community hubs in modern premises still need approval from the Scottish Government - but health professionals across Forth Valley say the changes will make GPs services "fit for the future".
Dr David Herron, who is the GP Clinical Lead for the Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, urged members of the Integrated Joint Board, which oversees health and social care to support the plan and "push it forward as fast as possible". Read more: Forth Valley NHS reveals plans to help GP's cope with rising numbers of houses He said: "If you went out and asked the people of Falkirk at the moment what is the number one priority for health care, I think a lot of them would say it's the ability to see a healthcare professional at a GP practice when they feel ill."There's a lot of factors that make it difficult to provide the capacity that we need for that but one of them very much is accommodation."We are struggling and practices are unable to provide as much clinical contact as they would like to, partly because of accommodation issues - so lets get rid of this as a reason for not being able to deliver that."Hopefully, we can support and push this plan forward as fast as possible." The Forth Valley Primary Care Premises Programme aims to improve the accommodation, services and facilities in GP surgeries across the area over the next five years, with a major programme of investment.
The plan is not just to replace existing facilities - they will also redesign the way GP services are delivered, building on work that is already happening locally.Falkirk
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