Millions of patients are set to benefit from more streamlined access to healthcare as the Government and the NHS publish a new plan for primary care.
As part of the new blueprint, which was published today, some patients who require prescription medicines won’t need a GP appointment and will thus be able to get it straight from pharmacies.
This will be available next winter for seven common conditions, including earache, sore throat and urinary tract infection thanks to a £645m government funding injection into community pharmacies over the next two years.
One of the main objectives behind the plan is to put an end to the ‘8am rush’ for appointments – this will be supported by upgraded phone technology which will allow GP teams to better manage multiple calls.
Initial trial findings have shown the technology has increased patients’ ability to navigate through their practices by nearly a third.
This will be supplemented with the rollout of extra training for those answering calls at GP practices to ensure those who need a GP are given fast-tracked access to one, and those who would be better served elsewhere are directed to the appropriate health professional.
In what the health service has described as a “significant” new measure, as many as 500,000 people will also be able to self-refer for a range of services without needing a GP, including physiotherapy, hearing tests and podiatry.
NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, commented: “The care and support people receive from their local GP is rightly highly valued by patients and so it is essential that we make it as easy as possible for people to get the help they need.
“GPs and their teams are working incredibly hard to deal with unprecedented demand for appointments. But with an ageing population, we know we need to further expand and transform the way we provide care for our local communities and make these services fit for the future.
“Today, we are setting out an ambitious package of measures to do just that – with pharmacies playing a central role in managing the nation’s health including providing lifesaving checks and medication for common conditions for the first time.
“This blueprint will help us to free up millions of appointments for those who need them most, as well as supporting staff so that they can do less admin and spend more time with patients.”
The plan will also help almost half a million women get access to oral contraception via their local pharmacy, once again circumventing the need to go to a GP first.
Local pharmacies will also expand blood pressure check provision, increasing the number carried out from 900,000 last year to 2.5 million. Overall, the steps set out in the plan are expected to free up approximately 15 million GP appointments over the next two years.
Health secretary, Steve Barclay, delivered a speech on the plan to the House of Commons - watch below.
