The RCGP has been awarded a contract to deliver NHS England’s recovery plan programme aimed at improving GP access.
From July, the college will start delivering the General Practice Improvement Programme (GPIP), which provides ‘hands-on’ support to increase access to practices and ‘make full use of a multi-professional team’.
The GPIP was announced as part of the recovery plan last year and aimed to help practices ‘tackle the 8am rush’ and avoid asking patients to ring back another day to book an appointment.
However, Pulse reported earlier this year that GP practices were struggling to participate in the GPIP, with many ICBs citing barriers such as lack of capacity or the lack of central funding.
At the time, NHS England confirmed that 1,200 practices had so far benefitted from the support programme.
Now the RCGP has announced that it has been ‘awarded a significant one-year contract’ by NHS England to support delivery of GPIP.
The College said: ‘As part of the programme, the RCGP team will provide a hands-on package of support to practices, delivered over four to six months.
‘This will include facilitated in-person sessions and a tailored analysis of practice demand and capacity.’
Practices will also receive ‘on-site support’ from ‘skilled facilitators’, as well as taking part in group-based learning sessions.
The aim of GPIP is to move practices to the ‘modern general practice’ model, in order to:
- improve how patients access the practice;
- improve assessment and streaming to the appropriate response;
- make full use of a multi-professional team;
- improve patient experience;
- build in-house capability to sustain improvement.
Practices can contact their ICB if they are interested in participating from July this year.
RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said GPs are working ‘under intense pressures’ and the College is looking forward to delivering ‘much needed support’ on the ground.
‘We have years of experience through our successful Primary Care Development programme, which we can bring to help ensure delivery of this programme is successful for the future of general practice, and to help ensure the expertise of the GP profession is a key part of implementation,’ she added.
At the start of this year, Pulse revealed that ICBs had paid for management consultants to help design GP strategies and improve access.
They have given it to the wrong group. What have the RCGP delivered that has been any use to patients or practices? what have they touched that hasn’t turned to something horrible smelling?
If I ever needed the RCGP to teach me to suck eggs, then this “significant (really??) one year contract” seems just the ticket 🙄.
Is this another KPMG bright idea?
Even Crapita would be a better choice.
Will be a disaster, but no doubt the usual suspects from Academia will be telling each other how wonderful the outcomes are.
More public money pissed away, we don’t need ‘facilitation’ cash would be better.
This is what the Donald Trump / Stormy Daniels trial would call “hush money”.
RCGP has its fingers in all the pies.
Why would anyone choose to subsidise this organisation with their hard earn money?
Oh of course, more training, more triage, more IT, more patient pathways, more fragmentation of care. And no more actual money. After watching this crazy charade for a few years now I’m convinced the best first point of contact is a GP, who can make a quick, accurate decision and identify the care need in moments. No remote consults, no clever IT solutions. All F2F. It’s quick, accurate, safe, and what most patients want. Exactly the opposite to this direction of travel.
RCGP instigators or Arrs holes, that was a success eh, will be about as good via HSL .The irony involved in the fragmentaion and collapse of primary care sad.
Colouring books .