Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)

Your GP Team and You

Discussion Notes

Date: 27 February 2018

Location:Dundee

Summary

As part of a series of engagement sessions across Scotland, 11 patients, third sector staff and NHS stafffrom Dundee gathered to discuss the implications of the new GP contract on their access and use of Primary Care services and support. This was designed as an opportunity for people to hear more about how this new contract will change how GP Practices operate over time; to give their views on how these changes will affect them and their local communities; and to gather views about how these changes can be made to work for local people.

Questions and discussions were challenging and constructive with recurring emphasis on a number of key themes:

  • People were openly challenging around the budget set aside for this fundamental change in Primary Care.
  • People felt that while it makes sense that more professionals will be centered on the GP surgery, they were unsure where these professionals were going to come from (the group referenced reports/articles around NHS staff shortages already).
  • People were worried that with a wider variety of Primacy Care options (pharmacists first, NHS Inform, etc…) some sections of society will not know where to go (people who are digitally excluded).

Q1: What do you see as the main opportunities presented by the GP Contract?

More focused, person centred care

Attendees saw a key opportunity to improve the quality of care, both in allowing a more holistic approach while also improving access to more focused healthcare professionals.

  • GPs will have more time with individual patients
  • Link Workers present good opportunity to help people – not just for clinical issues
  • If more emphasis on pharmacists there is an opportunity to educate people about different services and preventative medicine
  • Opportunity to develop electronic records that allow people to have more control over their information – sharing between professionals is key to these changes
  • Education opportunity to teach people about different primary care services – this might give people more choice
  • With multidisciplinary teams there is more of a need to speak to people about what matters to them and what support they need
  • Potential to increase social prescribing

GP a more attractive career

One opportunity offered by the new GP contract is to make working in general practice a more attractive career and improve recruitment and retention.

  • More time for GPs to work with people
  • Opportunity for staff to gain new skills
  • Skills within the practice can be used better

Better services

There is a clear opportunity for this new contract to be a catalyst for developing better services

  • Opportunity to improve local service planning
  • Additional funding for service provision

Q2. What do you see as potential issues with the contract?

Knowledge and Understanding

Participants were keen to stress that for these changes to work, then people had to know about new processes for access and understand the benefits of new arrangements.

  • People might default to phoning 999 if they can’t get a GP appointment – people need to know/be guided to appropriate alternatives
  • Need a good media campaign – people need to be onside
  • Ease of access
  • For those with no internet access
  • Those with access needs
  • Those with complex needs

Resources

Concerns were raised around funding for the changes

  • Is there enough money to support training and new staff?
  • We need adequate funding capital to redistribute resources across teams

Recruitment

With expanding teams, recruitment and retention of staff is vital to deliver the potential benefits of the new contract.

  • Recruitment of new staff to fill roles

Q3. Thinking about where you live – are there any considerations that need to be made in order to support people in your area?

  • Will rural areas have access to the same additional services and support?
  • Internet access
  • Access – getting to GP and other services is difficult in areas with poor transport

Q4. What engagement mechanisms would you like to see in place that would make you confident that the decisions/actions of the local Health and Social Care Integration Authorities and the National GMS Oversight Group local are being informed by the local public?

Wide ranging information campaign

There was a feeling that there has not been enough information about changes to GP teams and that going forward, having accurate, up to date information is going to be vital. Therefore, we need a nationally coordinated communication strategy that considers the following routes:

  • Local media
  • NHS links
  • Local shops
  • Breathing Space
  • Engage with people in waiting rooms
  • National and local media
  • Information in libraries
  • Not all on social media
  • Councilors asked to promote events
  • Need to know that we will also be listened to
  • Need to reach people who are not in a group or part of an organization
  • Simple information collect – no long surveys

Emphasise benefits of local engagement

There is also a need for a national body to emphasise and play a role in promoting/supporting local engagement. People need to be made aware of the benefits of engagement

  • If people aren’t involved in local decisions – changes will not benefit communities
  • Service redesign needs more than tokenistic consultations
  • Lack of engagement

Q5. What are the key ‘must-do’s for the National Implementation Group?

Evidence gathering and monitoring

One of the key activities of the oversight group needs to be in monitoring and evaluation.

  • Listen to the public
  • Informing public healthcare providers about reshaping services – key planning and monitoring procedures
  • Evidence gathering including
  • More timely access
  • Urgent care appointments available

The ALLIANCE : Your GP Team and You – GP Contract Engagement Workshop Page 1

Notes