The Andalusian Health Service (SAS) has once again reduced the average delay in accessing a Primary Care appointment and, as of 11 April 2022, it remains at just 2 days on average. Since 31 December, when the average delay was more than five days, the decrease has been continuous.
The regional delegate for Health and Families, Juan de la Cruz Belmonte, has emphasised the work of the professionals in the Primary Care centres as well as the work carried out by the management teams of the centres, in coordination with the health districts of Almeria, Poniente and Área Sanitaria Norte, in monitoring the delay that is carried out. Belmonte highlighted the Andalusian government’s «firm and decisive commitment to primary care, as evidenced by the 26 percent increase in the number of health professionals in Almeria since the beginning of the current term of office».
Another of the initiatives implemented to improve the accessibility of this level of care is the reception consultation. Since 1 January 2022, a total of 11,137 welcome consultations have been carried out for a total of 10,162 users. 62.43% of all consultations were resolved by nursing professionals.
In the management of appointments for Primary Care, the role of Salud Responde also stands out, which has ensured that Andalusians rate satisfaction with this service as very adequate or adequate in 92.2% of cases.
Boost to Primary Care
Since last January, the programme to improve accessibility by exceptional coverage of professionals in Primary Care has been promoted, whereby, when a professional is absent and there is no other professional to replace him or her in the Single Employment Exchange of the SAS, the possibility of covering the activity of the absent worker by another worker from the centre is offered in the form of extraordinary care. Thus, the Primary Care districts are implementing it for the categories of family doctors, nurses and paediatricians, for a total amount of close to one million euros so far.
As an urgent measure, the special performance accessibility improvement programme has also been implemented since the end of December to reduce delays in family doctor consultations in the province’s health centres.
