Significant improvement in the NHS appointment system has been achieved in recent years, with the result that people can now more easily find available appointments, even in specialties where previously there were major difficulties, such as gastroenterology. The above was stated, speaking to ACTION 24, by Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistocleous.
“From October to date, the number of people who have been able to book appointments through the system has increased from 330.000 to 550,000, an increase of almost 220,000 appointments. This increase reflects the fact that more citizens are now finding appointments and finding them faster than in the past,” Themistocleous said. He added that MyHealthApp contributes significantly to the convenience of citizens, as it allows searching for appointments by specialty and region, as well as monitoring examinations and medical history. As he said: “Through the app, citizens can see the examinations they have had in recent months, whether they were performed in the public or private sector.” He also noted that the integration of diagnostic tests is also gradually progressing, so that the patient and the doctor have a direct view of the patient’s history, prescriptions and overall health progress. As noted: “This is a very significant change from the past, when the citizen had to carry a physical file of tests and paperwork from doctor to doctor.”
The Deputy Minister made special reference to the “Quality for All” platform, noting that it is a tool that will bring together all the data from the Ministry of Health’s organisations. As he explained: “Through this system, data such as available staff by region, epidemiological characteristics, as well as data from e-prescribing will be captured. This system will also be open to citizens in the coming months, when the interconnection of all the data is completed, and will also provide mapping of the data, enabling comparison between regions.” He said its value lies mainly in the ability to better plan, forecast and intervene early.
Regarding recruitment, notices and staffing of the NHS, Mr. Themistocleous argued that the climate for doctors has been largely reversed, noting that targeted increases have already been given and that interventions have been made in the employment regime to make it more flexible. As he stated: “In the advertisements for positions in Attica, Thessaloniki and the large university hospitals, coverage is almost complete, reaching about 100% of the positions, with the exception of only some specialties.” He also stressed that the difficulties are mainly in specialties that are in short supply throughout the European Union, such as pathologists, general practitioners and certain laboratory specialties. For GPs in particular, he noted that the country provides a one-off incentive of 40,000 euros for starting a specialty, stressing that this is a very strong incentive at European level. Still referring to the region, he noted that of the 300 positions that in the past repeatedly came up empty, i.e. without any candidate, about 2/3 of these positions have now been filled, and additional allowances have been given. He said the National Health System now has the most staff it has ever had, not to say that there are not still needs and vacancies in some parts of the country.
