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We last spoke with GP Dr Paul Bennett way back in December 2019 BC (before Covid) when his Porchester based surgery was in the process of trialling new and innovative ways of meeting and managing patient demand. Fast forward to almost three years later; post pandemic, within a rapidly evolving general practice landscape, and with the pressure to provide more appointments at an all-time high, Paul and his team have had to adapt and improve their previous strategies, to offset the needs of their patient population against decreasing numbers of medical professionals. In this week’s podcast instalment, Paul talks Ben through the new systems they have embedded to manage the challenge of capacity and demand, and why he feels that in Porchester, they are able to offer a safer, more streamlined, and equitable service.

Introduction (0:10)

What’s been happening since we last spoke to Paul? (0:47)

How does the ‘pod’ system work? (2:05)

The role of the Care Navigator (2:25)

eConsult platforms and eForm creation (2:44)

Breaking down the two components of demand (3:34)

Managing patient access (4:38)

Allocation of a designated pod team (55:30)

Management of those requiring urgent treatment (6:05)

Transferring patients from routine to urgent care pathways (8:22)

The red flag form (9:19)

Forms for more specific conditions and concerns (10:04)

Aligning the process within the wider network (11:40)

Managing triage, decision-making and proactively signposting patients (1:04)

Development of the case managers and the pod team skill mix (13:09)

Positive impacts and lessons learned (14:44)

Measuring outcomes (15:53)

What have been the main issues or problems? (16:26)

Reaction from the doctors to newer ways of working (17:18)

Next steps (19:09)

Finding out more and getting in touch (20 mins 37 secs20:37)

If you’d like to learn more about the systems in place at Westlands Medical Centre, Paul’s is contactable here.