30.08.16
Support hubs needed to pick up overflow from GP practices, says BMA
GP practices can no longer fulfil all of their patients’ needs and should have supporting hubs to address extra patient needs, the British Medical Association (BMA) has said.
In a new paper, the BMA suggested a potential model for reforming general practice, including CCGs commissioning 20% less services from GPs. And appointments would be made longer, at 15 minutes, in order to allow GPs to better treat patients with complex conditions.
However, to avoid making the pressures on GPs worse, fewer appointments would be available. Instead, some patients would be referred to locality hubs, which would help integrate primary and community care and relieve the pressure on secondary and acute services.
The report notes: “This can be a difficult concept for GPs who have for generations seen themselves as proudly picking up patients’ every issue and acting as their advocates within the NHS. This proposal does not threaten these two principles, but the idea that GPs can continue to manage any number of increasingly complex clinical situations is outdated and unsafe. Limiting workload to within safe limits makes sense for patients and greatly increases the chance of retaining and recruiting GPs by reducing the likelihood of stress and burnout.”
Hubs are already in the process of being trialled in Oxfordshire, Lambeth, Gosport, New Forest and Southwark.
The report says that existing efforts show that to succeed, hubs must be introduced with sufficient local funding and flexible models that can address the needs of a community. They should be open in core hours, with the possibility of offering services out of working hours, and be able to access patient records with consent.
NHS England recently announced the GP Forward View, which it is planning on implementing to address the unprecedented challenges in general practice, including financial problems, staff shortages and increased patient demand.
The report says the longer appointments can be delivered using the funding in the GP Forward View or sustainability and transformation plans.
Dr Brian Balmer of the BMA general doctors’ committee executive team said: “As part of the package, more GPs must be put in front of patients so that the number of consultations per GP a day falls to a sustainable level.
“We need to learn from best practice across the UK and look at options, where appropriate, for organising GP practices into hubs, where knowledge and resources can be shared.
“General practice in the UK cannot be allowed to continue being run into the ground: it’s time for positive change that gives patients the care they deserve.”
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