GP practices are facing increasing pressure on patient care, a situation that has only been exacerbated by the covid pandemic. Consultation rates in general are outpacing the numbers of GP’s that can deal with them. Telephone consultations have doubled in number with duration of consultations and workload also up. Patients with neurological problems form a substantial part of that burden. Their presentations can be complex with difficulties determining what is prescient, when to be concerned and what to do next.
Local neurology services are often overwhelmed with significant waiting times. Advice and guidance services while helpful are often geared towards local guidelines and criteria for admission. Patients that are referred to neurology services have often been seen up to 5 times by the local GP before that referral has been made.
Many patients with non urgent neurological complaints seen by GP’s want a specialist neurology opinion, or advice on management or reassurance for both patient and often the GP. A significant number may need specific investigations in order to reassure or proceed.
Neurology support for general practitioners aims to bridge this gap in advice by providing individual patient advice for the general practitioner. Our obligations are to the general practitioner only and the support they need to resolve the issues they face. Our service covers all aspects of this demographic including advice, specific management of conditions, specific investigations that can be done through the GP practice or individualised suggestion for onward referral including when to refer and why.
Our aim is to reduce the burden that patients with neurological conditions create by intervening early to support GP’s who have patients with neurological complaints to facilitate efficient, timely and appropriate advice and management.
