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Can fundamental change in General Practice be achieved by changing the contracting model? Will the use of other professionals achieve major efficiencies? Reform the public sector think tank believe so and have published “Who Cares; The Future of General Practice” to set out their “blue print for best practice”. In this bonus edition of our podcast, Ben Gowland talks to Alex Hitchcock, one of the report’s authors.
Show Notes
Alex explains the aims of the Reform report (44secs)
The report aims to set out a blue print for best practice (1min 06secs)
Reforms view of the problems in General Practice (1mins 40secs)
Do GPs feel the problems differently? (2mins 07secs)
Fundamentally changing the model (3mins 01secs)
Abandoning the target for 5000 new GPs (3mins 30secs)
Using other professions to plug the gap and make efficiencies (4mins 19secs)
How do you preserve continuity of care? (5mins 35secs)
How do you deliver the efficiencies? (7min 16secs)
Other professionals delivering appointments will achieve efficiencies (8mins 17 secs)
Creating new contracts to emphasise prevention (8mins 52 secs)
The Valencia model of integrated care (9mins 59secs)
The example of Lakeside in Corby delivering wider care (11mins 12secs)
Can change be delivered via contracting? (12mins 01secs)
A new role for commissioners? (12mins 37secs)
Are federations “old wine in new bottles”? (13mins 38secs)
How best can we deliver change? (15mins 16secs)
Private investment in primary care (16mins 06secs)
Does general practice have the capacity for change? (16mins 30secs)
Practice leadership from individuals with a business background (17mins 07secs)
The report is available from www.reform.co.uk (17mins 48secs)
2 Comments
The current crisis in General Practice is due mainly to the underfunding of the service which has seen the proportion of NHS funding to General Practice fall from 11% to 7.2%. Little wonder then that there is no prospect of achieving the government’s target of 5000 additional GPs by 2020. Continuity of care is a cornerstone of successful general practice and is particularly important for those elderly patients with chronic medical problems [including dementia]. The suggestion of Skype consultations for this group of patients was laughable.
I don’t really know what a think tank is – Reform; IEA; Adam Smith Institute; Prospect; IPPR; Progress ad nauseam are just political lobby groups which seem to have an oddly high level of influence despite the poorness of their analysis. For example the IEA on the Future of the NHS does not understand the difference between a hypothesis and a theory. When any of these lobby groups claim any intellectual credibility “I would advise, in all circumstances take to take to the hills”
I mean Wilf Straw working for IPPR on climate change then failed attempt to get MP in a marginal constituency [ I remember when Thatcher had to fight two Labour safe seats to get finally selected, now he is employed the don’t leave campaign. When is this lad going to get a proper job. Like all the above they college kids who have never had a proper job in their lives and are not old enough to have an opinion.