MOST patients want a hybrid system of GP telephone appointments and face-to-face consultations to continue after Covid, according a survey by a Glasgow practice.
The analysis undertaken by the David Elder Medical Practice in Govan is believed to be the first time patients in Scotland have been formally invited to give feedback since the pandemic reduced the number of patients who could be seen in person.
Dr John Montgomery, one of four partners at the surgery, said: "What we wanted to find out was what patients' take was on this, because no one has actually asked them."
A total of 806 of the surgery’s patients responded to the survey, with 430 (53 per cent) saying the telephone-based system was "worse than the previous face-to-face system", and 284 (35%) rating it "about the same".
Asked to score how well their problem had been managed by telephone, the respondents gave an overall rating of 3.32 out of five.
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However, a majority - 61% - said they would prefer a mixture of face-to-face and telephone appointments to continue in future, with 32% favouring a return to mainly face-to-face.
The results have been shared with Holyrood's health and sport committee.
The Scottish Government expects surgeries to scale up the proportion of GP consultations being carried out in-person as part of its NHS Recovery Plan, but measures such as ongoing requirements for one-metre physical distancing in healthcare settings mean fewer patients can be in waiting rooms at once.
Family doctors are also wrestling with growing demand, partly due to patients spending longer on hospital waiting lists or chronic conditions deteriorating during Covid.
Dr Montgomery, who chairs the south of Glasgow GP committee, said : "Before the pandemic we were about 85% face to face, and 15% telephone. At the moment, it's about 70% telephone and 30% face to face.
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"But before the pandemic we were doing 1,100 consultations per month. Now it's gone up to just under 2000.
"Telephone consultations aren't any quicker than face to face, so we have that problem, and there will also be a lot of unmet need out there with problems that will come forward as restrictions ease.
"There's no doubt that some patients - the complex multi-morbid patient with mental health and social issues - have really suffered from the lack of routine face to face, but they were poorly served before the pandemic with a 10-minute face to face consultation."
Dr Montgomery said it was clear many of their patients with "straightforward problems" appreciated the convenience of telephone appointments and those who needed a face-to-face still got them, but noted that in more affluent areas - where more patients are over 75 - there would probably be a stronger push to see GPs in person. Just 32 of the respondents in the David Elder survey were over 75.
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Dr Montgomery added: "Restrictions will be in place for healthcare for a while even after everything else has gone back to normal.
"But at some point Covid will be endemic, restrictions will go, and we need to ask patients what their preference is - and at the same time make it clear that we can't just flick a switch and expect things to go back to normal."
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