The agreement, which will include the Island’s 13 GP practices, is designed to provide more support for the Health Department during the coronavirus pandemic for the next four months.
Under the terms of the scheme, patient will be charged a subsidised rate for GP appointments of approximately 50% less that normal fees.
Health Minister Richard Renouf said: ‘This is a landmark agreement for our Island. Our shared priority is to save lives, so we have come together to ensure that Islanders can access health professionals as quickly as possible, at a time when health resources are needed most.
‘For the next four months, all GPs will be directly employed by Health and Social Services. This will provide more resilience for the hospital, as GPs will be able to take shifts in the Emergency Department, and GPs with specialisms in diabetes or other conditions can cover for specialist colleagues in the hospital.
‘This agreement gives Health and Community Services more capacity and more flexibility to adapt to changing needs and puts Jersey’s healthcare system in a stronger position to tackle COVID-19.’
Islanders making an appointment with a GP, will need to call their GP surgery and cannot turn simply up. They will then be offered a telephone or video consultation, a face-to-face consultation, or a home visit, depending on their need as determined by the GP.
Should a patient have COVID-19 symptoms, their GP will assess whether they should self-manage by staying at home, go to the surgery, or be visited at home. GP surgeries will be split into ‘hot’ areas for those with COVID-19 symptoms, and ‘cold’ areas for those without.
