Perthshire GP calls for system modernisation after 220 prescription sign-offs in one day

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Perthshire GP has called on the Scottish Government to modernise the way prescriptions are handled. Chair of the BMA’s Scottish GP Committee Dr Andrew Buist believes doctors are wasting valuable time physically signing prescriptions which could be done electronically.

This week - after signing 220 prescriptions in one day - he called on the Scottish Government to take action. With three GPs on leave, two off sick and just him and one other GP left to care for 7800 patients, Dr Buist argued his time could have been better spent than signing so many prescriptions.Tweeting a picture of the prescriptions piled on his desk he said: "Scottish Gov must deliver on promised electronic solution to this - the funding must be provided." The Blairgowrie GP later told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We need to modernise the way we deal with prescriptions – particularly repeat prescriptions.

I recently had to sign 220 prescriptions in one day, which is not a good use of my time when there are patients who need to see me.

It’s also inconvenient and slow for patients. "With the current backlog in secondary care, more patients are returning to their GPs, this valuable time could be spent with them instead of being taken up by this.