GPDirect launches after-hours GP Clinic at Da Vinci Hospital

Effective family medical care should be personal and continuous.  Minister for Health, the Elderly and Community Care Dr Joe Cassar said that having access to a family doctor is essential for both the patient and his doctor.  The family doctor naturally has more understanding of the patients habits and lifestyle and thus develops a relationship which allows for more personalised care.

Minister Cassar was addressing the launch of GPDirect, an after-hours medical group practice made up of a team of experienced general practitioners (GPs) who will be available to deal with routine and emergency medical conditions after normal working hours.

GPDirect will operate at Da Vinci Hospital on the principle known as ‘Continuity of Care’. This principle is fundamental to proper Primary Healthcare delivery by general practitioners (GPs) in the community and to be achieved, each patient’s regular GP must be kept informed every time that patient seeks medical advice. When a patient seeks medical advice from a different GP or medical institution (as often happens after working hours), the continuity with their regular GP and the updating of information may be undermined.

This often happens in Malta because GPs generally work alone and cannot be available at all hours of the day and night.

Minister Cassar said that GPDirect brings together a group of established, dedicated private GPs to offer a medical group practice which will be available to individuals and their families after working hours, during the week as well as on weekends and public holidays. It will be available for routine and urgent medical conditions.  

In this way, if a person cannot find their regular GP after normal working hours, they can visit GPDirect, receive all the medical services they require, and GPDirect will keep their own regular GP updated with timely and detailed information. This will allow the regular GP to continue caring for the individual with updated information on their patient’s healthcare, ensuring continuity and ultimately leading to better healthcare all round.

Community based services are also an essential feature of a strong and effective Primary Healthcare system. Dr Cassar said that GPDirect recognises this fact and through a planned partnership with emcare they will be in a position to offer patients direct and immediate access to a number of community care services.

This partnership will also lead to the development automated solution developed by 6pm Holdings plc, a local health solutions provider, to allow communication between GPs, other healthcare professionals and community based services. This communication between all stakeholders is crucial for proper management of the patient. This system will allow the GP to effectively coordinate the individual care of each patient as they move through the various aspects of the healthcare services and will positively enhance the patient’s experience and interaction with GP Direct.

GPDirect, operated by JTM Ltd,  is now available to all patients and will be providing after-hours routine GP and emergency medical services. Since it is located within the Da Vinci Hospital, an established medical institution, it has at its disposal all the hospitals resources available for the further care of the individual patient, should these be required. There is also an onsite pharmacy which will allow the purchase of any medication should this be required. 

GPD opening hours:

Monday to Friday:                   7.30pm – 11pm

Saturdays:                               1.30pm – 4.30pm

Sundays & Public Holidays     9.00am – 12.00pm

Patient contact telephone: 21491200, www.davincihospital.com