Sessional GP - Issue 4

Welcome

Sessional GPs, particularly locum GPs, provide primary medical care for patients when their own GP is unavailable; much of this occurs out-of-hours (OOH). OOH is provided in a variety of settings, such as in emergency departments, primary care centres, walk-in centres and minor injuries units. A sessional GP’s responsibility working in OOH is to provide good and safe medical care on that day and provide any essential information for the subsequent handover, including any adequate safety netting.

During the last few years there has been a distinct rise in complaints and claims arising from consultations in the OOH setting. This is the result of a multitude of factors, eg, a consulting OOH GP will not have access to the patient’s complete records, and they will be dealing with patients who are unfamiliar with them.

Providing care in the OOH setting carries both unique risks and vulnerabilities. Dr Rachel Birch and I have contributed an article, “Perils of the twilight zone”, highlighting the pitfalls of three typical OOH cases.

Learning from others’ experiences and mistakes is central to working as a GP. This issue features articles from Dr Richard Fieldhouse, founder of the NASGP, and Steve Crone, chief executive of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund, who write about the importance of belonging to a group of fellow GPs, whether it be a chambers or a self-directed learning group.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

Dr Richard Stacey – Editor-in-chief
MPS Medicolegal Adviser