THE cost of certain health appointments has been reduced by £10, the government has announced.
Appointments with nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, health care assistants – and telephone consultations with GPs – will all be cheaper, in a move which came into force this month.
The government announcement follows previous reductions in the cost of face-to-face GP appointments – which were reduced by £20 in 2023, with a further £10 subsidy announced by the government in May last year.
The new reduction does not apply to face-to-face doctor appointments.
Dr Gordon Callander, from the Primary Care Body, while healthcare costs continued to rise, GP surgeries were doing “all they can to minimise the impact on patients”.
He said: “Many practices now offer consultations with other healthcare professionals who can often meet patients’ needs.
“It is great that the important work of practice nurses, healthcare assistants, paramedics and pharmacists is recognised by Employment, Social Security and Housing to allow the evolution of services offered to patients.”
Dr Callander noted that remote consultations by phone or video had “proved invaluable to a number of patients”.
“We are grateful to government for recognising and encouraging new ways of working which reflect modern general practice,” he added.
Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham said the new reduction would mean that more patients could access a wider range of primary care services.
Deputy Feltham said: “I’m grateful to general practice for working with us to deliver this important expansion.
“Together, we are working to strengthen a high-quality, accessible, and flexible primary care system for all Islanders.”
The new subsidy does not apply to out-of-hours services provided by on-call doctors, or to patients using the Health Access Scheme who pay fixed reduced fees for GP services.
In April, Windsor Medical Clinic became the first GP practice in Jersey to offer free face-to-face doctor consultations for all existing patients, and up to 1,000 new patients.
It remains to be seen if other surgeries follow suit.
