As the Government launches a consultation on its 10-year health plan, NHS England primary care director Dr Amanda Doyle urges GPs to submit their ideas
General practice is the backbone of the health service, and GPs and their teams are under huge amounts of pressure, experiencing record demand.
Having been a GP partner for many years I know first-hand how difficult things can be – with general practice often bearing the brunt.
Despite the challenges general practice is facing, there is a real sense of hope, with the new Government committed to shifting a greater proportion of NHS resources into primary and community care, to build a strong neighbourhood health service with general practice at its heart, and to focus on prevention – not just cure.
Lord Darzi’s independent report highlighted that poor technology, systems, and facilities hold us back, but he noted that greater spending in primary and community settings had a superior return on investment when compared with acute hospital services.
This direction gives general practice lots of opportunities to shape a better, more sustainable future.
We have already taken some steps to make improvements and bring in changes that better support the sector, such as implementing the recommendations of the pay review body to uplift the pay elements of the practice contract by 6%, and extending the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to include newly qualified GPs with an additional £82m this year to enable you to recruit substantive GPs to support your local practices.
This year is the first time in years we have seen an increase in the number of fully qualified GPs working in NHS general practice. We have established PCN test sites, with the aim of gathering data to understand and demonstrate the gap between demand and capacity in primary care.
We have also launched the ‘red tape challenge,’ together with Government, to get rid of unnecessary bureaucracy and hand offs, so GP practices can focus on what they do best, offering cradle to grave care for their patients.
But we know there is more to do to find a long-term and robust solution to these increasing pressures – that is why the launch of engagement on a new 10-Year Health Plan is so important.
We will be asking the people who know what matters most to your patients – you – GPs and your teams.
We know many solutions to our issues already exist across the health service, and we see examples every day of local teams working together to better join up care for their patients.
We need to go further if we are to offer a truly neighbourhood health service, but these examples show our staff are passionate about making a difference, and why we must listen and put you at the forefront of reforming and improving how the NHS works.
Our current opportunity is the clear commitment in the manifesto to shift the resource into primary care and community services – and the whole of primary care cannot let this opportunity pass.
Your views, experiences and ideas will shape the immediate steps and long-term changes the 10-Year Health Plan will set out to improve the health of our communities and make health services more resilient and more responsive.
Together we can tackle the issues within general practice – and beyond – for both staff and patients.
So, please get involved and go to change.nhs.uk to find out how you can take part and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
Dr Amanda Doyle is national director for primary care and community services at NHS England
“Despite the challenges general practice is facing, there is a real sense of hope,” : is there? There’s no money to pay for the ARRS 6%, the 6% for GP’s WON’T give partners an equivalent pay rise, I see employers NI contributions are going up, etc, etc. If/when we see actual investment I might get hopeful. So far…
Dr Doyle was indeed a GP, part of the 3% of primary care at senior NHSE management. The remaining 97% are from the hospital sector management (with the occasional consultant), who ensure that GPs are the poor relations. It is not therefore surprising that primary care cash was ‘stolen’ for hospital deficits as we have just heard. As for “neighbourhood health service”, it means landing more hospital activity at GPs’ doorstep as if we had not already been overloaded with diabetes, asthma and the rest of long term conditions. I am still waiting for the day when an investigative journalist will expose the NHSE bias against GPs.
Agree with both the comments above. Dr Amanda Doyle: ‘GPs have an opportunity to shape a better, sustainable future’. Unfortunately we don’t. The direction from what you say has already been decided so actually you don’t want our input. As for ARRS funding for newly qualified GPs, it is so wrong, clearly age discrimination and denying experienced GPs work.
Like others have already said over the last few weeks, the outcome of this “consultation” is already decided. And probably written by the TBI, to include more IT spending, more AI, more public-private parasitism etc etc
This is just the usual political device of managing and marshalling expectation.
I unfortunately get the feeling Amanda will tell Gps whatever she is told to tell GPs.
Under Leadsom, the message was 2.1% is all these is and now the message of “hope”.
Suspiciously like a mouthpiece and not coming across as fighting the case for primary care
RESIGN