EXPERIENCES OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN THE FAST QUEUE SERVICE POINT IN PRIMARY HEATH CARE FACILITIES IN ETHEKWINI DISTRICT, SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Public health facilities are congested from increased access and burden of disease. In 2011, the National Department of Health introduced the National Core Standards for health establishments, which reflect the new vision for South Africa’s health services. These are standard guidelines aimed at providing quality health services, enhancing the current health outcomes and restoring patient and staff confidence in the health system. One such guideline is the Fast Queue Service Point, a service for people who are usually chronically ill, who have already consulted at higher levels, and who come to collect medications from the Primary Health Care facilities. It also serves people who need short consultations. This study used a descriptive qualitative survey methodology with content analysis to describe the experiences of 13 purposively sampled health care providers assigned to work in the Fast Queue Service Point. All staff performed their duties as allocated and as would be expected according to their scope of practice, though the workload was seen as high. They all knew what the purpose of this service point was and they liked that users got through the system quickly. Participants verbalised lack of support from supervisors. Delays were prevented through well organised patient flow. However, patients would miss out on health education opportunities if they were perceived as ‘old’ and thought to know everything about their treatment. The study shows that there is a need to make available more health care providers of lower categories to support registered and enrolled nurses and relieve them of the high workload. There is also a need for structured supervisory visits, which can assist in ensuring that facilities receive the necessary support. Nursing staff perceived that users of the Fast Queue Service Point went through the system quicker than other users. Due to the shortage of staff, they felt that the workload was too high and this compromised care for these users.