East Antrim: Travelling to health appointments 'fraught' for coastal residents, community drop-in event told
Travelling to health care appointments can be “fraught” for rural residents on the east Antrim coast, a Carnlough event has heard.
A drop-in session was held at the town’s Heritage Hub by the Rural Community Network, to hear residents’ experiences of primary and community healthcare locally.
Carole Kane, of Rural Community Network, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the main issues being identified were “GP presence” and “transport to appointments”.
“The distance and infrastructure for people from rural communities to come to appointments were highlighted,” she stated. “People talked very positively about the service received once they reached appointments.”
A caller at the event explained a Glenarm patient who had a GP appointment in Cushendall, for example, who required public transport would have to change buses in Carnlough and board an onward bus to Cushendall.
“The whole thing is fraught. Most people have to rely on friends and relatives and not just for the GP. You can have appointments at various hospitals,” she said.
For patients who can’t get an appointment with a GP in the Carnlough surgery, she added, they need to make a ten-mile trip to Cushendall.
Residents also spoke of the inconvenience of multiple trips to Cushendall for ongoing blood tests, for example.
The Cushendall-based Glens of Antrim Medical Centre agreed to accept 1,381 patients in 2017 following the closure of a GP practice in Glenarm, with the practice opening a surgery at Harbour Road, Carnlough, where it continues to operate a surgery two mornings weekly.
The Glens of Antrim Medical Centre believed from the outset a “full-time service” was to be provided in Carnlough but received additional temporary funding support for just three years, which was extended for a further year due to the impact of Covid-19, and “kept the surgery going” full-time in Carnlough for a year thereafter at its own expense.
The Department of Health (DoH) insisted the funding arrangement was “never to last indefinitely and was over and above the standard funding which all GP practices received based on their patient population”.
A DoH spokesperson said: “Glens of Antrim Medical Centre provides a vital and much valued service to its patients and the Department of Health (DoH) continue to work closely with GP practices as independent contractors who make their own decisions about the day to day running of the surgery, including the use of technology, telephony and the appointment system.
“Decisions on location or level of service are also for an individual GP practice and, while it is regrettable that the overall Carnlough surgery is now operating with reduced hours, the ability to restore those is one which is at the discretion of the practice.
“The practice received additional funding from the DoH for a nurse to provide treatment room services at the Carnlough premises."
Dr John McSparran, of Glens of Antrim Medical Centre, said he had “absolute sympathy” with patients requiring public transport from Carnlough, adding that the practice tries to work with patients over appointment times.
“The practice would dispute the view of the board (DoH) that the arrangements that were initially put in place were for a period of three years,” he stated.
“We have asked through our local medical committee for the board to advise what the contractual arrangements are now."
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter