Following a successful trial, the Isle of Wight is now looking to recruit more clinicians to a new role that gives patients better access to health services in their local GP practice.
For the past year, Physician Associates have been working under the direct supervision of practice GPs in pilot schemes at Newport Health Centre and Ventnor Medical Centre.
An emerging role in the NHS throughout the UK, Physician Associates are medically-trained and highly-qualified generalist healthcare practitioners able to perform a number of duties such as taking medical histories, performing examinations, analysing test results, and diagnosing illnesses.
The support they offer gives patients faster access to the professional medical care they need while at the same time freeing up GPs to focus on patients who have a clinical need to see them.
Following the successful year at Newport Health Centre, Katie Stebbins, is now – with her counterpart from Ventnor-based Romeo Varela – leading the drive to recruit more Physician Associates to the Island.
An American from Maine, she is using her story to help encourage health professionals to pursue a career here. She has recently returned from a recruitment event at the University of Portsmouth where she spoke to 2nd year Physician Associates about her experiences at Newport Health Centre
Katie came to the Island from the States where she worked in a similar role, albeit in the hospital setting of the 800-bed Maine Medical Centre. Her partner Scott Jones is an Islander and she is already loving life here both inside and outside of work and hopes her positive experience could encourage other health professionals to choose the Island as a place to work and live.
Among her day-to day duties – all of which free up GP time to consult with patients – will be taking medical histories from patients, carrying out physical examinations and initial diagnoses, seeing patients with long-term chronic conditions, developing appropriate treatment and management plans, requesting further diagnostic processes such as scans and giving prescriptions – which are co-signed by a registered GP.
The additional role is part of a general expansion of primary care practice teams, both here on the Island and nationally, to improve access to services and help manage the increasing demand for healthcare.
Dr Michele Legg, Island GP and Clinical Director at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said:
“My colleagues at GP practices in primary care across the island work incredibly hard to care for our communities. They are dealing with record numbers of calls and holding record number of appointments.
“We are now also supported by talented teams of health professionals, from physios and mental health practitioners to clinical pharmacists and advanced nurse practitioners. They can often see patients sooner and have specialist expertise which can achieve better outcomes.
“We also have hard-working non-clinical staff who are the backbone of our surgeries, arranging appointments and dealing with thousands of patient calls and enquiries every day.”
Anything that helps is great news, but until the Council stop allowing thousands of houses, the bulk of which will house impovrished, state funded familes, many of whom, use having children as a means of income, nothing will get better only worse.
And in a few short years of those innocent children being born, when puberty arrives the whole cycle will begin again, meaning even more houses will be needed to house the parents, the children and then the grand if not great grand children before the original parents are dead.
A time bomb of misery, poverty crime and lower standard of living for all on the Island due to pure greed by developers and aided by an even greedier Council imo
Absolutely right, the authorities are not complying with the government’s own rules regarding the number of doctors per head of population. Newport is, by far, the worst served place on the Island for seeing, or often even contacting, a doctor. Once seen and referred things improve, providing that it isn’t too late.
Stop spouting absolute bullcrap. Most of the houses being built are bought by 2nd homers and incoming retirees.
The number of children on the Isle of Wight has actually decreased by 16% in the last 10 years.
Er…….if the physician associate takes the history, examines the patient, orders investigations, and makes diagnoses, what is left for the GP to do – apart from filling in all the forms that require payment?
What’s a GP?, is it that fictional character from olden days that used to see people who were unwell and help them, I believe too in the olden days they used to leave the safety of office to actually visit people at home. They get paid more and do less, what a gravy train.
Don’t know who my GP is anymore.
Haven’t been able to see a GP for years, only the nurse.
Why do they think the Hospital is full and at critical levels… it’s because people are no longer looked after in the community and all the other hospitals shut down, Ryde, Frank James, Shanklin and the Private hospital.
I would like to see a GP when I am sick, one that I know, not a nurse.
I will say it.
Nurses should nurse.
Doctors should diagnose and treat.
Pharmacists should make up medications.
Health Care ASSISTANTS should assist trained nurses.
If you want to improve things. LOOK at the past…. there is your answer.
Wow, you are really uneducated.