27.08.14
GP audit developed to 'prove value' of practice-based minor surgery
A nationwide audit of practice-based minor surgery has been launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to record, for the first time, how many GPs carry out this type of procedure.
GPs that carry out this type of surgery – which includes the removal of skin cancers and pre-cancerous skin lesions – have been asked to record and upload their figures as part of a Community- Based Surgery Audit (CBSA).
The CBSA national pilot, which is a unique initiative from the RCGP in partnership with the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), is now open and detailed figures will be available for assessment by March 2015. The statistics, submitted by individual GP practices, will then be used to compile a nationwide database.
According to the RCGP, this system provides an opportunity for GPs to monitor and improve the quality of care they provide, including peer comparison reporting. It also allows GPs to collect data to support re-accreditation, appraisal, revalidation and local contracting.
Dr Imran Rafi, chair of the RCGP Clinical Innovation and Research Centre, said: “It’s almost a misnomer to refer to practice-based surgery as ‘minor’ because the implications of this kind of work are often so significant. GPs are playing an increasingly important role in the diagnosis – and removal – of skin lesions.
The RCGP hopes the database will eventually become as successful as the College’s surveillance of common illnesses such as flu and hayfever, in which 100 ‘spotter’ GP practices across the country are used to predict and monitor outbreaks and epidemics.
Dr Jonathan Botting, clinical lead for Minor Surgery at the RCGP, added: “The CBSA is an incredibly useful tool for all GPs- providing us with a broader picture of practice-based GP surgery trends and helping us to improve patient care.
“Although current UK guidelines recommend all melanomas and other high risk skin cancers seen in primary care should be referred immediately to secondary care, up to 20% of melanomas diagnosed in the UK have been first treated in primary care.
“Our hope is that the CBSA will demonstrate that GPs have both the diagnostic and surgical skills to carry out such procedures- allowing us to take a more pivotal role in life-saving skin cancer treatments.”
For further information on the CBSA and to sign up please go to www.hscic.gov.uk/cbsa
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