Throughout the whole of the pandemic,
every general practice across Greater Glasgow and Clyde
has remained open, and providing services to their patients,
which has been no mean feat.
In addition, our community pharmacies have been working extremely hard,
supplying medication to their patients.
So, whilst every GP practice is open, how patients access services looks different.
All practices are operating a mixed model of care,
with many consultations being carried out initially by phone.
Many practices have increased the number of daily patient contacts they are having,
compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Many clinical issues can be managed very effectively on the phone,
and prescriptions can be arranged without you having to visit the practice.
In addition, this allows a determination of clinical need,
and to be able to organise a video consultation or a face-to-face consultation
at a time that suits patients and the practice team.
In some instances, you may be asked to email in photos, for example of a rash,
in order for the GP to assess this, and this will be to a secure email box in the practice.
For some conditions, a clinical examination is required,
or you may need tests, such as bloods or a cervical smear.
You will be given an appointment for this.
Please do not attend your GP practice if you do not have an appointment, phone first.
All pharmacies and practices remain constrained by infection control requirements,
with two-metre social distancing to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19.
This means that we have to limit the number of people in waiting rooms.
Some practices have installed door entry systems in order to help manage this.
You will be asked to wear a mask and use hand sanitiser,
and whoever you are having the appointment with will be wearing PPE
such as a mask, an apron, and in some circumstances a visor and gloves.
These requirements are there to protect our staff, our patients, including you.
Demand has increased across all of our services,
and GP receptionists are dealing with far greater numbers of phone calls and requests every day than ever before.
Call numbers are extremely high, and our staff are working very hard for patients.
It may take slightly longer to get an appointment, but this is due to current restrictions.
There are other services that may be more useful to you as an alternative to your GP practice.
Community pharmacy colleagues are able to provide a wealth of advice, and often medication,
using the pharmacy first service.
Optometry colleagues will see any patients with eye complaints,
and dentists are able to provide advice around anyone with dental issues.
The NHS Inform website is an extremely useful resource for medication information and advice.
When you call the practice, our reception staff will ask the reasons for this.
This is not to be nosy, but rather to help you and to ensure that you get care from the right person.
Please co-operate and give them the correct information,
as this will make things better for you.
In many GP practices, there are other members of the team
including nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and community links workers,
so it may be that your issue would be best dealt with by one of those, rather than the GP.
GP practice teams have no control over waiting lists for hospital appointments or procedures,
and if tests have been organised by the hospital colleagues,
those results do not come automatically to the GP practice,
so you need to contact the hospital team for these.
In the evenings and weekends when your GP practice is closed,
if you have an urgent medical need that cannot wait until your practice reopens, please contact NHS 24.
This is not for routine or chronic issues,
as they are much better dealt with by your usual GP who can organise ongoing care.
Remember that it is an issue with your medication, your usual pharmacy may be able to help.
Please do not attend the GP practice or other services if you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19,
including cough, fever, or loss of sense of taste or smell.
Also, do not attend if you have been told to self-isolate.
If you develop any symptoms, it is important that you have a formal PCR test, not a lateral flow test,
even if you have had your COVID-19 vaccinations.
Unfortunately, we are hearing increasing stories
of staff in our GP practices and community pharmacies and other services
being subject to verbal abuse and threats from patients.
This is absolutely not acceptable and cannot be tolerated,
especially when our teams are working hard.
Whilst I completely understand that people are frustrated with the changes in all services,
these will remain in place while we have ongoing issues with COVID-19.
I would ask that you are patient, show understanding, and treat people with kindness and respect.
Our teams are working extremely hard to help you and keep you safe.
Thank you.