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Found 157 results
  1. News Article
    Replacing GP receptionists with a “digital triage” system has made it easier for patients to see their family doctors, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The NHS said that 99% of GP surgeries in England had now adopted an e-consultation system, meaning patients fill out an online form as their first point of contact. After detailing symptoms, they receive a call or message back that day, offering a face-to-face appointment, a phone consultation, or directing patients elsewhere, such as to a pharmacy. It means people are spared the hassle of having to call up their GP reception in an “8am scramble” for appointments, and NHS leaders reported that access had improved over the past year. New ONS figures show that 72% of people said it was easy or very easy to contact their GP, up from 60 per cent in July 2024. However, access to GP appointments is still significantly below pre-pandemic levels, with surgeries struggling to cope with increased demand. There were 29.3 million GP appointments in April 2025 — a rise of almost five million on the same period pre-pandemic. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 2 June 2025
  2. Content Article
    A Brighton GP surgery is under threat despite providing excellent services and strong links to the local community. This decision flies in the face of the proven 'social value' being delivered and potentially puts patients at risk. The reasons are presented in this excellent article which exposes the continued 'race to the bottom' due to an apparently unnecessary tendering exercise, a decision made behind closed doors and a failure to consult. Quote from Polly Toynbee's article in the Guardian: "Here’s the puzzle. Andrew Lansley’s calamitous system that opened the NHS to “any willing provider” to compete for contracts was supposedly swept away in 2022, replaced with ICBs that strove for cooperation across all NHS and social services in England. Yet some ICBs still apply the old competitive impulse to NHS services, even though they now have an obligation to ensure that tenders help to reduce inequalities."
  3. News Article
    Nominated “integrator” organisations – which could be NHS provider trusts or councils – will help GP practices “at risk of failure”, under new plans for London’s neighbourhood health service. Proposals were published this week by the capital’s five integrated care boards, NHS England’s London region, local councils, the Greater London Authority, London Health and Care Partnership, and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, with support from the Londonwide Local Medical Committees. The work was carried out jointly with the PPL consultancy. Their plans say that “place partnership” teams – subdivisions of the ICBs, normally matching boroughs – will have to decide “footprints of neighbourhoods”, based on local information and data, such as mapping of capacity, demand, local assets and needs. Many existing primary care networks (which are partnerships of GP practices) are likely to have to “re-align”, it indicates, as neighbourhood team “boundaries [will] not automatically be defined by existing PCN footprints, except where these boundaries align with recognisable neighbourhoods”. Some PCNs that don’t match may agree ways to work across several smaller integrated neighbourhood teams (INTs). Read full story Source: HSJ, 14 May 2025
  4. News Article
    Funding is being given to around one in six GP practices in England to help them improve their buildings, the government says. Around £102m is being provided to expand and modernise surgeries, with work getting under way this summer. The government said it was the biggest public investment in facilities for five years. It comes as satisfaction levels with GP service have hit record-low levels and figures suggest two in five GPs are reporting their practices are not fit for purpose. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called it a "significant step", but warned it would not solve all existing problems overnight. Under the plan, some of the projects will involve converting office space into clinical consulting rooms as well as building new practices. Mr Streeting said: "These are simple fixes for our GP surgeries, but for too long they were left to ruin, allowing waiting lists to build and stopping doctors treating more patients." Read full story Source: BBC News, 6 May 2025
  5. News Article
    Patients’ satisfaction with GP services has collapsed in recent years as family doctors have switched to providing far fewer face-to-face appointments, new research has revealed. The proportion of patients seeing a GP in person has plummeted from more than four-fifths (80.7%) in 2019 to just under two-thirds (66.2%) last year. Telephone appointments have almost doubled over the same period from 13.4% to 25.4%. Those undertaken by video or online, including some in which patients fill in an online form but have no direct interaction with a GP, have risen almost eightfold from 0.6% to 4.6%. The Institute for Government (IFG) thinktank also found patients valued face-to-face appointments so highly that they regarded them as more important than their GP surgery offering more appointments overall by maximising the number provided remotely. They are more satisfied with practices that offer more in-person sessions, and less satisfied with those relying more on telephone and remote consultations, even though those free GPs up to see more patients. The dramatic shift in how family doctors interact with patients has coincided with a huge fall in public satisfaction with GP services. “Patient satisfaction is higher in practices that deliver more of their appointments face to face,” according to an IFG report tracking the performance of England’s 6,200 GP surgeries since 2019. Surgeries that offer the most remote appointments have experienced the biggest falls in satisfaction, the IFG analysis shows. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 April 2025
  6. Content Article
    This report on public service performance at the local level, shows that patient satisfaction is higher in GP practices that have more GPs (particularly GP partners), have smaller list sizes, deliver more GP appointments and do more of those appointments face-to-face. Additional direct patient care staff – such as physiotherapists, pharmacists and care co-ordinators – are not associated with higher satisfaction. Despite that, all those trends are heading in the opposite direction: the number of GP partners continues to fall, particularly among those aged under 40. GP practices do far more appointments remotely than they did before the pandemic. The closure and merging of practices means that patient list sizes continue to creep up. In addition, the addition of almost 40,000 direct patient care staff since 2019 does not seem to have improved satisfaction.  The report argues that the government needs to urgently address the crisis in the GP partner workforce, aim to improve the conversion rate from GP traineeship into the GP workforce, understand how to use the expanded direct patient care workforce most effectively, and better communicate how its reform programme will improve patients' experience of general practice.
  7. News Article
    Health workers will be sent door-to-door under drastic new NHS plans to tackle sickness rates across England, according to reports. A community health worker will be allocated 120 homes to visit every month to see if help is needed under plans set to be rolled out in June, The Daily Telegraph reports. Health secretary Wes Streeting said trials of the scheme showed “encouraging signs” in slashing the number of heavy NHS users which he called “frequent flyers” of A&E departments. A pilot scheme in Westminster, London, showed a dramatic 10% drop in hospital admissions over a year, The Daily Telegraph reports. “We’re seeing some really encouraging signs about what can happen if you’ve got the right care in the right place at the right time,” Mr Streeting said. The scheme, set to be rolled out in 25 parts of England, is part of Mr Streeting’s 10-year plan for the NHS, which could also see younger people directed to pharmacy care using the NHS app, leaving GPs to devote their time to sicker and older patients. The health secretary said a modernised version of the health service’s phone app could mean the NHS could “do a much better and faster job of making sure patients get the right care at the right time in the right place”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 April 2025
  8. Community Post
    For healthcare to be safe it needs to be accessible. But what does this look like for people with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and Long Covid? A recent blog on the hub from #ThereForME explores the barriers that impact access to NHS care for people with ME and Long Covid. If you have ME or Long Covid, or care for someone who does, we’re keen to hear about your experiences: Have there been times where you delayed or were unable to access the care you needed due to these or other challenges? Have you or the person you care for experienced an exacerbation of symptoms due to exertion involved in seeking healthcare? What would make the biggest difference to you to make care more accessible? Do you have any experiences to share where reasonable adjustments were made or a member of staff went out of their way to make it easier for you to access care? Please share your experiences. You can post anonymously below or you can sign up to the hub and become a member which will allow you to post on other topics too. Sign up is free and easy to do.
  9. Content Article
    The government and NHS England are determined to improve people’s access to, and experience of, GP services. The consultation on changes to the GP contract for 2025/26 has now concluded.  The changes to the GP Contract for 2025/26 mark a major step forward in the government’s mission to shift care into the community, to focus on prevention and to move from analogue to digital. The changes also provide greater freedom to GPs by cutting red tape and empowering patients by improving digital access to practices. 
  10. News Article
    Patients will be able to book more appointments online and request to see their usual doctor under a new contract agreed with England's GPs, the government has said. The deal gives an extra £889m a year to general practices, as well as a reduction in red tape and targets that ministers hope will mean doctors are freed up to see more patients. The Labour government made manifesto promises to bring back "family" doctors and end the early morning phone "scramble" for appointments. The doctors' union, the BMA, says the deal is an important first step in restoring general practices. However, doctors also want the government to commit to talks about a completely new national contract for GPs within this Parliament. GP surgeries are seen as the front door to the NHS, but for years now, doctors have been warning about the pressure their service is under. Patients have felt it too, with some people facing long waits for appointments. Now it is hoped extra money agreed in the new contract for GP surgeries will kick-start improvements. Read full story Source: BBC News, 28 February 2025
  11. Content Article
    Moving away from home and starting university has been a transformative experience. As an 18-year-old studying law and international relations, I’ve enjoyed the new found independence and academic challenges. However, persistent health issues have complicated my transition, leading to a frustrating journey through the healthcare system. My health struggles Since starting university, I’ve dealt with multiple colds and flu-like symptoms, some may call it ‘freshers flu’. A productive cough that lingered for over a month concerned me, but the situation took a serious turn when I started feeling dizzy and breathless with minimal exertion. Realising the severity of my condition, I knew I needed medical help. Seeking help: a series of missteps 1. Pharmacy visit My first stop was the local pharmacy. After describing my symptoms, the pharmacist suspected iron deficiency and recommended iron tablets. While this seemed plausible, my condition continued to worsen, prompting a call to my parents. 2. Exploring options: walk-in GP and NHS 111 My parents suggested visiting a walk-in GP, but I discovered none were available in my area. I then called NHS 111, hoping for guidance. They advised going to Accident and Emergency (A&E) but also mentioned they would request a GP call-back. Given the NHS’s known pressures, I was hesitant to visit A&E for what I didn’t consider an emergency. 3. Urgent treatment centre attempt My mum then suggested my local hospital’s urgent treatment centre. I mustered my energy to go there, only to be informed that I needed a GP appointment. They again suggested A&E. 4. Finally, A&E Feeling increasingly unwell, I headed to A&E. Although it felt like I was going in circles, this decision was crucial. At A&E, I was redirected to the urgent treatment centre where I finally saw an excellent doctor. I was seen quickly, diagnosed and given medication that soon began to help. A few days later, I received a message from NHS 111 stating that my request for a GP call-back had dropped off the system due to the delay. This entire experience has been eye-opening and frustrating. As a young and intelligent individual, I found navigating the healthcare system challenging. I can only imagine how overwhelming it must be for older adults, those with additional needs or those less familiar with the process. Lessons learned Navigating healthcare while dealing with a serious condition can be daunting. Here are some key takeaways from my experience that may help other university students or young adults who have moved away from home for the first time: Register with a local GP early As soon as you arrive at university, register with a local GP. It’s crucial to have access to medical care, especially when living away from home for the first time. Understand your options Familiarise yourself with the local healthcare facilities, including urgent treatment centres, walk-in clinics and A&E. Knowing where to go in different situations can save valuable time and stress. Persist and advocate for yourself Don’t be afraid to seek second opinions or alternative solutions if your initial attempts to get help are unsuccessful. Be persistent in advocating for your health needs. Stay informed about healthcare systems Understanding how the healthcare system works, including the pressures it faces, can help you make informed decisions about when and where to seek care. Moving forward Despite the hurdles, my health is now improving thanks to the excellent care I eventually received. This experience has taught me the importance of being proactive about my health and understanding the healthcare system. As I continue my university journey, I’ll be better prepared to navigate any future health challenges. If you’re a student facing similar issues, remember that you’re not alone. Reach out to university health services, friends and family for support. And most importantly, take your health seriously—it’s the foundation upon which all other successes are built. Reflections from my mother My mother, who is a healthcare professional working in the NHS, has had her own set of frustrations and concerns for me throughout this ordeal. She shares her own reflections on my experience: Frustration and helplessness Despite my extensive knowledge of the healthcare system, I felt powerless to help my child navigate the healthcare system from miles away. It was frustrating to be unable to fix the situation quickly and efficiently. Worry and concern Being far from home, I was naturally worried about my son’s health. The distance amplified my anxiety, knowing that they were dealing with worsening symptoms without immediate access to care. Concern for others I am also deeply concerned for other students and individuals who might be in similar situations but are not as vocal or persistent. How do they cope and navigate the system, especially those without a strong support network? Emotional impact This experience left me feeling upset and distressed. As a healthcare professional, I am acutely aware of the pressures on the NHS and the potential for patients to fall through the cracks. Seeing my own son’s struggle highlighted these issues in a very personal way. Are you a student or a young adult who has moved away from home for the first time? How easy have you found it accessing healthcare. We would love to hear your stories. Please comment below (you will need to register with the hub, it's free and easy to sign up), share your story in our community forum, or email us at [email protected]. Related reading The challenges of navigating the healthcare system: David's story The challenges of navigating the healthcare system: Margaret's story The challenges of navigating the healthcare system: Sue's story Lost in the system? NHS referrals "I love the NHS, BUT..." Preventing needless harms caused by poor communication in the NHS (DEMOS, November 2023) Robust collaborative practice must become the bedrock of modern healthcare Robbie: A homeless patient’s struggles with the system Digital-only prescription requests: An elderly woman sent round the houses Lost in the system: the need for better admin Digital-only prescription requests: An elderly woman sent round the houses
  12. News Article
    GPs say they “can’t carry on doing more with less” as a survey finds being able to see a doctor is the top concern Britons have about the NHS. Polling done for the Health Foundation by Ipsos on NHS priorities found 38% of people wanted it to be easier to get a GP appointment, above improving A&E wait times (33%), improving NHS staff retention by making working conditions better (29%) and improving public wait times (27%). Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs said it was “no surprise” that better access to GP appointments was the main priority for the public. “GPs want this too and it’s as frustrating for us as it is for our patients when they struggle to access our care; but this is the result of years of under-funding and poor workforce planning,” she said. “As it stands, GP teams are already delivering more consultations than ever before – 367 million last year, more than a million per day – and more complex care, but with only a handful more qualified GPs than in 2019. This isn’t sustainable. “General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, we make up the vast majority of patient contacts and in doing so alleviate pressures across the entire health service. But we can’t carry on doing more with less - without substantial investment in our service, and initiatives to recruit and retain more GPs, some patients will continue to struggle to access our care.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 25 February 2025
  13. News Article
    A GP surgery in one of the most deprived areas in the north-east of England is struggling to provide care for its patients as the health system crumbles around them. In the depths of the winter flu season, the Guardian video producers Maeve Shearlaw and Adam Sich went to Bridges medical practice to shadow the lead GP, Paul Evans, as he worked all hours keep his surgery afloat. Juggling technical challenges, long waiting lists and the profound impact austerity has had on the health of the population, Evans says: 'We are seeing the system fail'. Watch video Source: The Guardian, 18 February 2025
  14. Content Article
    For healthcare to be safe it needs to be accessible. But what does this look like for people with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and Long Covid? This blog from #ThereForME explores the barriers that impact access to NHS care for people with ME and Long Covid, and encourages the patient community to share their experiences. What is ME and why is accessing care difficult? ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis, sometimes referred to as ME/CFS) is a complex, chronic condition affecting multiple body systems.[1] Symptoms include debilitating cognitive dysfunction and post exertional malaise (PEM)—the exacerbation of symptoms following exertion, which can sometimes lead to a long-term deterioration—the cardinal symptom of ME. Patients with ME have one of the worst qualities of life of any disease: lower than various forms of cancer, multiple sclerosis or chronic renal failure.[2] The most severely affected patients are reliant on full-time care, sometimes becoming unable to speak or swallow, and may require hospital care to avoid dehydration and malnutrition. Since 2020 at least two million people in the UK have been affected by Long Covid. Approximately half of those affected meet the criteria for ME (though not all have been formally diagnosed), alongside those who have developed other long-term health issues following Covid infections.[3] For people with ME and Long Covid, accessing healthcare, whether for these or other conditions, can be challenging. PEM means that it can be difficult to receive care without risking a deterioration in symptoms, especially when reasonable adjustments are not made to minimise the exertion involved. A lack of knowledge, misunderstanding and stigma around the conditions exacerbate the issue, sometimes making patients reluctant to seek care and clinicians unlikely to understand the adjustments that are needed. Together, these and other barriers mean that people with ME and Long Covid may avoid, delay or be completely unable to seek the care they need, creating risks for patient safety. Difficulties accessing care at home A 2023 public consultation highlighted failures in the health service that included the accessibility of NHS care for people with ME—particularly for housebound or bedbound patients.[4] This was echoed by a 2024 #ThereForME survey of over 300 people with ME and Long Covid (and their carers).[5] Two-thirds of people responding to our survey said that the NHS had not been there for them when they needed it. The overall accessibility of care was highlighted as a core concern. Housebound patients answering our survey reported struggling to get access to home visits for monitoring and routine screenings or even remote/phone appointments. Patients reported delaying or avoiding seeking care as a result, or in some cases turning to private care as the only option to facilitate routine investigations. Learnings from care for other conditions can show how similar barriers have been addressed—for example, progress in care for people with learning disabilities.[6] Hospital systems and environments People with ME and Long Covid often experience difficulties navigating energy-intensive NHS systems and hospital environments. For many, the process of arranging and receiving medical care may go well beyond their limited energy envelope. This includes challenges like inflexible booking systems, appointments that are changed or cancelled at short notice, long journeys to medical appointments or needing to coordinate with multiple referrals and clinicians. Patients may delay seeking care, even in emergencies, due to the toll that a busy hospital environment is likely to take on their chronic symptoms. Particularly in A&E and inpatient care, busy waiting rooms and hospital wards may exacerbate sensitivity to noise, light and movement. Patients may be unable to sit upright in waiting rooms for long periods of time without their symptoms being exacerbated. While reasonable adjustments are key to accessibility,[7] and the 2021 NICE Guideline for ME/CFS outlines some adjustments that may be needed,[1] knowledge of the Guideline is limited in the NHS and the majority of NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Boards are not implementing it.[8] More widely, limited knowledge about ME, and similarly Long Covid,[9] means that patients don’t receive treatment that is sensitive to their symptoms—and, crucially, that avoids exacerbating them—because clinicians lack basic knowledge. People with ME and Long Covid, who are often particularly vulnerable to infections, may also avoid seeking healthcare due to concerns about acquiring infections. Many people with Long Covid report deterioration after Covid reinfections,[10] as the pandemic continues far from the headlines and with few measures in place to prevent airborne transmission. This may also impact the ability of family carers to access healthcare themselves, fearing acquiring an infection which could set back their loved one’s health. Trauma in healthcare Traumatic experiences in healthcare also play a role. Many patients with ME and Long Covid have experienced feeling dismissed or disbelieved, sometimes discouraging them from seeking care in future. The 2024 #ThereForME survey documented multiple cases of patients who said that, due to such experiences, they would be reluctant to seek NHS care even if experiencing life-threatening symptoms, expressing a sentiment that they would ‘rather die at home’ than seek healthcare in an emergency.[5] ME is significantly more common among women,[11] meaning that experiences of stigma linked to the condition overlap with gendered experiences of healthcare,[12] including how pain among women is routinely dismissed. Sharing your experiences We hope this blog has shone a spotlight on some of the challenges people with ME and Long Covid face when accessing care. If you have ME or Long Covid, or care for someone who does, we’re keen to hear about your experiences: Have there been times where you delayed or were unable to access the care you needed due to these or other challenges? Have you or the person you care for experienced an exacerbation of symptoms due to exertion involved in seeking healthcare? What would make the biggest difference to you to make care more accessible? Do you have any experiences to share where reasonable adjustments were made or a member of staff went out of their way to make it easier for you to access care? We’ll be collating the experiences shared and exploring what can be done about it. You can share your experience by posting in the Comments field below or join our conversation in the Community area of the hub. References NICE. Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic794457 fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline [NG206], 29 October 2021. Falk Hvidberg M, et al. The Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). PLOS One, 2015; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132421. Dehlia MA, Guthridge MA. The persistence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) after SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Infection, 2024. Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Education and Department for Work and Pensions. Consultation outcome. Improving the experiences of people with ME/CFS: interim delivery plan, 9 August 2023. ThereForME. Building an NHS that’s there for Long Covid and ME, July 2024. Anderton M. Exploring deep sedation at home to support people with learning disabilities to access medical investigations with minimal distress. Patient Safety Learning, 17 July 2023. Brar P. Diagnostic safety: accessibility and adaptations–a (un)reasonable adjustment? Patient Safety Learning, 19 September 2024. Action for M.E. Patchy, Misunderstood and Overlooked Implementation of the NICE Guideline [NG206] on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in England Freedom of Information Findings Report, May 2023. Patient Safety Learning. Long Covid: Information gaps and the safety implications. Patient Safety Learning, 7 June 2021. WHO. Knocked back by COVID-19 reinfection – the experience of Abbie, a British nurse living with long COVID. World Health Organization, 30 November 2023. DecodeME. Initial findings from the DecodeME questionnaire data published, 24 August 2023. Anonymous. One hour with a women's health expert and finally I felt seen. Patient Safety Learning, 7 November 2024.
  15. Content Article
    Stephen Heard is a Patient Safety Partner at Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust. He is also, as an RAF veteran himself, employed by Arden and GEM Commissioning Support Unit as one of a small part time team of regional leads for the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) veteran friendly accreditation scheme. In this blog, he explains how GP practices can support veterans and their families in ensuring they are and remain safe after transiting from the services into civilian life. He lists a number of services that veterans (anyone who has served at least one day in HM Forces) can be signposted to as part of their civilian care. Stephen emphasises that many veterans are vulnerable on transition and access to these programmes preferably via a veteran friendly GP practice can be critical to their safety. Research has shown that the first port of call for a veteran seeking help will often be the local GP practice. I would like to emphasise to you and your colleagues the significance of the Royal College of General Practitioners Veteran Friendly Accreditation Scheme for primary care, as endorsed by NHS England in alignment with the Armed Forces Covenant. The Veteran Friendly Accreditation Scheme shows staff at GP practices how to handle queries from the 2.4 million veterans nationally (+3m dependents) and signpost them to the most appropriate pathway or support group as per the list below: Op Restore: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service provides specialist care and support to veterans who have physical health problems as a result of their time in the Armed Forces. https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/commissioned-services/ Op Courage: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service is a dedicated mental health service for individuals leaving the Armed Forces (those within 6 months of leaving the military in England), veterans and reservists. NHS commissioning » Nationally commissioned services (england.nhs.uk) or [email protected] Op Nova: Provides one to one non clinical support to veterans who are at risk of being arrested or already have been, are due to leave prison or have been released from prison. Op NOVA | Forces Employment Charity Op Community: Provides care navigation and signposting to the wider Armed Forces community with a specific focus on Serving families. www.armedforcesnetwork.org/armed-forces-community/families/single-point-of-contact/ Op Fortitude: Delivers a centralised referral pathway into veteran supported housing. www.riverside.org.uk/care-and-support/veterans/opfortitude/ Op Sterling: Programme to help older LGBT+ veterans, service personnel and their families. www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/programmes/how-we-deliver-advice/operation-sterling/ Veterans Prosthetics Panel (VPP): Funding on a named veteran basis to NHS Disablement Service Centres (DSC) to ensure that veterans who have service attributable limb loss can access high quality prosthetics. www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/armed-forces-community/veterans-service-leavers-non-mobilised-reservists/ Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans Framework (IPC4V): Delivers a personalised care approach for the small number of Armed Forces personnel who have complex and enduring physical, neurological and mental health conditions that are attributable to injury whilst in Service. www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/integrated-personal-commissioning-for-veterans-ipc4v/ Personalised care for veterans. NHS England and the MOD have published a new personalised care approach for those veterans who have a long-term physical, mental or neurological health condition or disability. www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/ipc-for-veterans/personalised-care-for-veterans/ There are also the following linked programmes: Veteran Aware: Operated by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) to improve NHS care for the Armed Forces community by supporting trusts, health boards and other providers (Acute, Community and Mental Health) to identify, develop and showcase the best standards of care. https://veteranaware.nhs.uk/ Step into Health: NHS Employers scheme to facilitate employment for service leavers and their families. https://www.militarystepintohealth.nhs.uk/ Veteran Friendly Framework: Designed to accredit care homes to improve their awareness of the needs for veterans. https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/things-to-do/campaigns-policy-and-research/campaigns/veteran-friendly-framework Many Veterans are vulnerable and access to these programmes is critical to their safety. Integrated Care Boards will often have Veterans within the Core20plus5 NHS England Health Inequality Improvement framework, designed to reduce healthcare inequalities.
  16. News Article
    Staff at a GP surgery were left in tears and forced to call police after incidents in which angry patients threatened them and acted violently. Nurse consultant Dr Jennifer Loke, who works at the practice in East Yorkshire, said she was forced to press a panic button when one patient started moving towards her, saying, "If you don't give me that prescription, I'm going to kill you". Humberside Police has received 411 reports of abuse towards GP staff in the region since 2019. Although most were verbal, the force investigated assaults, a kidnapping and six death threats. The British Medical Association (BMA) said it knew current pressures could make it harder for patients to get care, but no one should go to work fearing abuse. Among the death threats was one made towards Dr Loke – an academic doctor who works as a nurse consultant. Dr Loke said she was not frightened by the incident, but abuse took its toll. "It's stressful enough to work in a surgery because you have to cope with a lot of complex issues and you need to maintain your cool with patients who are anxious and depressed," she said. "And yet you have all this in the background, so it's quite distressing." Most of the patients she saw were "good", but attitudes had changed because of an "on-demand" and consumer culture. Read full story Source: BBC News, 25 November 2024
  17. News Article
    GP practices across England faced ‘chaos' on 4 November after an EMIS IT system outage cut off access to appointment booking systems and left clinicians unable to see patient records. EMIS is the most widely-used GP practice IT system in England, in use at more than half of practices across the country - and practices as far apart as London, Cheshire and Bristol were reporting an outage on the morning of Monday 4 November. Dr Selvaseelan Selvarajah, a GP at St Andrews Health Centre in East London told GPonline that staff first flagged the issue at around 7.30am on 4 November. He said: ‘We came in this morning, it worked for a few seconds and then there was the wheel of doom. We restarted the system a few times and it still did not work, then we raised it with the EMIS team.’ Dr Selvarajah added: ‘Mondays are always busy but this has been chaotic. It is a patient safety issue too, because we have a complex issue of not being able to access medications and hospital letters. EMIS told us that it is unavailable for some users and they are treating it as a high priority issue.' He said that from what he had heard, GP practices across the country had been affected. Read full story (paywalled) Source: GP Online, 4 November 2024
  18. Content Article
     Despite its extremely low funding, Professor Lord Ara Darzi’s September 2024 report on the productivity of the NHS across England singled out general practice for its unprecedentedly high activity. The ‘front door’ to the NHS for an average of nearly 1.5 million appointments every day, yet collapsing from 15 years of funding erosion, GP practices across England currently only receive 5.5p out of every pound spent on the NHS for the core (essential) services they are contracted to deliver. The new Labour Government has begun to invest, but the scale of the challenge is clear: recent uplifts have only contributed a single additional penny per patient per day. Around 2,000 independent GP practices have been lost since 2010 – that’s one in five local surgeries. That’s a problem for all of us as patients and the NHS in general. This paper from the BMA is a vision and a toolkit for how to deliver what patients want from the NHS. Fixing the NHS must start with bringing back the family doctor. Patients want the Government to fix the broken general practice it has inherited and deliver them a safe and stable local GP surgery and the family doctor they know and trust. We need: more GPs to meet the needs of our patients more GP appointments to stop the 8am rush more GP Practice Nurses – familiar faces known and trusted by the patients who need them most more GP Practice Nurse appointments delivering local joined-up care closer to home in the community better continuity of care – by seeing the same clinician, patients can build trust in who delivers their care and receive better customer service.
  19. Content Article
    Primary care – general practice, community pharmacy, optometry and dental services – delivers 90% of NHS interactions, face to face, by phone or online. The Primary care patient safety strategy describes the national and local commitments to improve patient safety in primary care, supporting all areas in this sector to fully implement the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. This strategy has three core areas of focus: Developing a supportive, learning environment and just culture in primary care, with sharing across the system so that the services can continually improve. Ensuring that the safety and wellbeing of patients and staff is central, and that our approach to managing safety is systematic and based on safety science and systems thinking. Involving patients in the identification and co-design of primary care patient safety ambitions, opportunities and improvements. This strategy seeks to continuously improve patient safety through existing processes and structures as much as possible, rather than adding work. The timeframes for the implementation of the local commitments are intentionally flexible to allow for the piloting of different approaches, and, while this strategy is for all areas of primary care, some improvements will be implemented first in general practice and the successes and learning then used in the rollout to community pharmacy, optometry and dental services. In summary: Safety culture: participate in the NHS staff survey. Safety systems: complete patient safety syllabus training. Insight: register for and use the new incident recording (LFPSE) and incident response (PSIRF) systems. Involvement: identify patient safety leads and lay patient safety partners. Improvement: review and test patient safety improvements in diagnosis, medication, referrals, optometry and dental services.
  20. Event
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    NHS Resolution’s Safety and Learning team in collaboration with the NW panel law firms, are hosting a virtual forum series on learning from claims to promote reflection and improve patient care. The purpose is to raise awareness of the support offered by NHS Resolution as your General Practice indemnifier along with the North West panel firms; Weightmans, Hempsons and Hill Dickinson. This will be of interest to both clinical and non-clinical staff involved in patient care across primary and urgent care . The format is interactive, with presentations followed by questions and panel discussion. Session 1: Seeking support for claims The session will explain how NHS Resolution, and its panel firms, will support you in responding to claims along with an overview of the legal tests used to determine a claim and the steps involved. Event programme: Introduction to the GP Indemnity scheme and clinical negligence Q&A panel discussion Contributors: • Patricia Roe - Partner | Hempsons • Dr Anwar Khan - Senior Clinical Advisor for General Practice, NHS Resolution Register
  21. Event
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    In this first webinar of the Changes in Primary Care series, Dr Claire Fuller, Medical Director of Primary Care at NHS England will discuss the new reception team alongside frontline general practice staff. Register for the webinar
  22. Community Post
    It's rare that I post personal information of any kind on a website such as this, but this really irked me so felt it was worth sharing. Context: I've been an Asthma sufferer since the age of 3 years old. I know exactly how to manage my condition having had it for over 50 years, and have always used a blue ventolin inhaler as and when necessary (perhaps once every 2-3 months). I have not had any serious issues with my Asthma for at least 20 years, and then only in Hayfever season. Issue: I only renew my inhaler when it expires, every 2 years or so. Therefore it is not listed on my repeat medications list. My most recent one had just run out, so I needed a replacement. Action: I emailed the GP's website as I knew I was meant to, and received an automated email back saying that I would receive a response within 5 working days. So far so good. Response: I received another email response 2 days later (pretty good!) saying that the GP would have to call me to run through why I needed a new inhaler. GP call: The GP rang on the set day and within the allocated time window and started asking me how often I used the inhaler, for what, and did I really need that or the preventative one (which I've had before). At the end of our 10 minute call, she agreed that I just needed a replacement blue ventolin inhaler, as I had asked for in the first place. What a waste of the GP's time, and mine!! It made me think that it would be a helpful thing if certain patients with decades of experience in managing their condition(s) in a very stable way could be classed as 'expert patients' on their GP record. This could save a huge amount of wasted time on both sides!! This blog post first appeared on Linkedin on 30 October 2022. I will post some of the responses to it below for added insight.
  23. Content Article
    During the pandemic, reports of abuse directed at doctors’ surgery staff and community pharmacy teams across West Yorkshire have increased. In response, the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has launched a new insight driven campaign called ‘leaving a gap’ to make people think about the consequences of abusive behaviour. Co-produced with staff and patients, the campaign recognises that services are extremely busy, and it can be frustrating for people accessing care. The campaign reminds people we’re all here to help each other and the importance of all round understanding and kindness. A series of striking images created as part of the campaign aim to make people think about the gap that will be left if staff leave their role due to abuse. Please share the 'Leaving a gap' campaign message by displaying it in your public spaces, publishing it on your website and via social media. You can use the assets provided on this page to help; there are A4 and A5 size posters as well as social media images, a website banner and hero image and an animated video you can download.
  24. Content Article
    Even those at the top admit the NHS can’t do what is being asked of it today. But it is far from unsalvageable – we just need serious politicians who will commit to funding it, writes Gavin Francis, who shares his experience as a GP in this Guardian long read.
  25. Content Article
    This toolkit aims to help GP practices set up and run effective Patient Participation Groups (PPGs). It includes resources to help set up and develop PPGs, as well as to help PPGs think creatively about patient involvement. The toolkit covers:Guide to setting up a PPGVirtual groupsIncreasing membershipWhat can Healthwatch do to help?
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