23% of A&E patients could have been treated at health centres

23% of patients who were treated at Mater Dei’s Accident and Emergency Department in 2014 could have been treated at health centres, a National Audit report has found.

“Most of these were self-referred, implying that patients are intentionally by-passing health centre services to the detriment of increasing pressures on Mater Dei’ resources,” the NAO said in an audit report on GPs.

It called on government to spend a higher percentage of the national health budget on primary healthcare, arguing that it will result on a long-term high rate of return.

The NAO called on the Primary Health Care Department (PHCD) to coordinate with the A&E Department to launch information campaigns aimed at decreasing the volume of patients at Triage Three at the A&E.

“Dealing with this category of patients at health centre level is conducive to a more patient-centric approach, relieves the pressure from Mater Dei’s resources and infrastructure and reduces the overhead costs,” it said.

It encouraged the PCHD to “exploit the complementarity of services” provided by doctors in the public and private sectors, based on recent public private partnership initiatives.

It also urged the PHCD to continue to shift the balance of its services from immediate care towards health promotion and disease prevention.

“The opportunity exists for the PHCD to build on current awareness campaigns by encouraging GPS to reemphasise the messages of these campaigns during patient visits,” it said.”

A survey commissioned by the NAO indicated widespread satisfaction – 95% - with GP services in the country. Only a third of respondents said they sought GPs through public health centres, even though the service is free of charge. 18% of people who visited health centres in 2014 said that they did so because their private GP was unavailable or because their condition was an emergency.