GOVERNMENT funding for virtual GP appointments could stop within the next month as part of the Covid-19 de-escalation process – unless talks result in a change of policy.
GP representatives from the Primary Care Body are set to meet officials from the Health Department later this week to discuss the subsidy that is paid from the Health Insurance Fund.
Since the early stages of the pandemic, a £20 subsidy for each appointment has been payable for all consultations, whether they take place via phone, video link or are conducted in person.
Under the existing agreement, when the remaining legal measures relating to Covid are removed – this is due by 31 March – the subsidy will be payable only for face-to-face appointments.
The PCB is seeking to extend the scheme, arguing that while most interaction with GPs has now reverted to in-person encounters, virtual appointments remain a useful option in many cases.
Dr Gordon Callander of the PCB, who works at the Cleveland Clinic, said: ‘Some patients, especially those who are vulnerable, find it convenient to have an appointment without having to attend the surgery, and in many cases issues can be managed remotely.’
If the subsidy was to cease, Dr Callander said the likely outcomes were mostly negative ones, including GPs having to raise their prices and the risk that some patients might opt against seeking medical advice.
Dr Callander said he hoped the talks between the PCB and the government would be ‘meaningful’.
He added that several departments at the General Hospital used virtual consultations in certain circumstances.
Ian Burns, director general for Customer and Local Services, said: ‘The government has supported Islanders in accessing GP services by providing a subsidy for the cost of a telephone or video link consultation, acting quickly to bring this service into place in March 2020 when face-to-face appointments were often not possible.
‘We will be discussing the use of telephone and video link consultations with general practice and the extent to which it improves access to services over the long term.’
Dr Callander said he believed most doctors supported the moves towards de-escalation.
He said: ‘I think there’s an appreciation in general practice that things need to start going towards a new normal, even if it’s not quite the same as before.’
Chris Sprent, practice manager at the Island Medical Centre, said that it was likely that precautionary measures such as clear plastic screens, masks, additional wiping of surfaces and advice to patients not to arrive excessively early for appointments would remain for the time being.
