Keywords: Women's Health, GP with special interest, Gynaecology
Background:
Accessing expert care for common gynaecological conditions is a challenge for women in rural Lincolnshire due to lack of dedicated funding for specialist primary care based clinics. Patients and their GPs rely on secondary care to provide this expertise which is not ideal given the poor transportation networks in Lincolnshire and long waiting times in secondary care. In 2023 the UK Women’s Health Strategy, has prioritised the setting up of Women’s Health Hubs (WHH) to address the shortfall in providing easily accessible, co-ordinated services for women’s health problems.
Aim of the study:
The aim of this study was to look at the value of providing a local gynaecology service for women in a rural Primary Care Network (PCN) of practices in Lincolnshire.
Methodology:
Between Feb and March 2022, a total of six clinics were held in two GP surgeries within a PCN by a GP with special interest (GPSI) in gynaecology supported by a nurse from the GP surgery. Patients were booked by their GPs into these clinics within agreed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The GPSI had extensive gynaecology experience as also close links with specialists in secondary care with whom management guidelines had been previously drawn up for common gynaecological conditions.
Results:
A total of 52 patients were seen of whom 92% had their care completed at their first clinic appointment and only 8% required referral to secondary care for further input.
Conclusions:
An expert first contact gynaecology specialist service based within a primary care setting can benefit women from prompt solutions to their gynaecology problems and the healthcare system from reducing unnecessary expensive referrals into secondary care and is in keeping with the objectives of the UK Women's Health Strategy 2023 and its recommendation for setting up women's health hubs. The experience gained from this work can inform setting-up of such hubs in rural Lincolnshire.
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