The Scottish Government must make ‘interface groups’ for primary and secondary care mandatory in each health board, the RCGP has demanded.
RCGP Scotland said it wants to see the groups – consisting of clinicians representing both sectors, meeting regularly to discuss ‘systemic issues’ – mandated for every health board.
It comes after a recent survey of RCGP Scotland members found that 85% of GPs think an ‘improved’ digital interface between primary and secondary care ‘could help improve their workload’, and 84% saying they felt there is a poor interface between existing IT systems.
The college pointed out that currently across Scotland there is ‘inconsistent support and recognition of these groups’ and that patients can experience ‘poor communication, delays, and anxiety’ when systems are not working well together.
‘Interface groups can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the whole health care system and interprofessional relationships and morale,’ the college argued.
The groups should discuss issues such as how referrals are handled, communication between providers, reconciliation of medication, and communication with the patient.
The college added: ‘The interface between primary and secondary care is the point at which the two systems come together.
‘These systems are independently complex and do not always communicate well with each other due to different IT systems, cultures and priorities.’
RCGP Scotland chair Dr Chris Provan said: ‘Interface Groups provide a better understanding of roles, improve communication and decrease frustration across the interface.
‘Improving the interface ultimately improves patient safety and experience, leading to better health outcomes.’
A Scottish Government spokesperson told Pulse: ‘It is really important that the interface between primary and secondary care works as effectively as possible, with strong communication and supportive systems, to provide good quality care for patients.
‘The Scottish Government funds a Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) project which is working hard with local areas to further build relationships and improve practice.
‘We will discuss next steps on interface approaches with RCGP and other key stakeholders.’
Last year, a report warned that at least 15 million GP appointments are wasted each year due to issues arising from the poor interface between GPs and hospitals.
According to GP leaders in one area, over £4m of NHS funding is wasted on ‘interface’ issues between primary and secondary care such as workload dump.
And in England, ICBs have been asked to act as ‘referees’ to resolve ‘tension’ between primary and secondary care around workload and referrals.
