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Questions and
Answers
Eddy Shallcross,
Chair, opened the floor to questions and answers. These are summarised
as follows (patients’ voice (P) is in blue, whilst the GPCC’s responses
are given in green):
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(P) the views and needs of carers need to be taken into account
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(P) smoking cessation services must be considered alongside the
development of services for the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction
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(GPCC) the PCT has already invested significantly in both health
promotion (ie preventing people from smoking in the first place) and
stopping smoking services, and services developed within primary care
have demonstrated very successful outcomes. There is a lot of work to
be done still, and this will still be a priority for the Public Health
department, which will move under the remit of the Local Council over
the coming months.
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(P) What role will the Consortium have in health promotion and
education within schools?
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(GPCC) This will be the responsibility of the Local Council, who
will be taking responsibility for all areas of Public Health such as
this. However, the Consortium will work closely with these teams to
ensure that adequate services are in place for its patients.
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(P) As GPs take on more responsibility for managing budgets, how
will they be able to reconcile their roles as budget holder, and someone
responsible for a patient’s care?
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(GPCC)
Each time that GP makes a referral, or writes a prescription, he / she
is responsible for spending taxpayers’ money, and so is already mindful
of the fact that resources must be managed appropriately. There is no
doubt that some difficult decisions will need to be made as we enter
even tougher financial times, and GPs, in conjunction with their
patients, will need to reach a balance between ensuring the right care,
and accessible care, for their patients, whilst also ensuring that this
care is cost-effective. Above all else, the GP is responsible for a
patient’s care and so commissioning clinically-effective, and clinically
necessary, treatment will always be the highest priority. As we move
forward, all GPs must take responsibility for their practice budgets to
ensure appropriate use of tax-payers’ money, and that there are
sufficient resources to invest in the areas where it is most needed.
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(P) The Consortium need to work more closely with the third
sector to ensure that it is making the best use of all of the services
available – some of which may come at no cost, or at a reduced cost.
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(P) What will be the format of the quarterly Council meetings?
Would it be better to have a smaller, executive committee of the full
Council to ensure that things move forward at a fast pace?
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(GPCC) This is an excellent suggestion and one which we will
definitely consider. As yet, there are is no template for how patient
groups will work alongside Consortia, which is fantastic as it gives us
the opportunity to try different approaches and find the one which works
best for us and for our patients. We will discuss some different models
with our other colleagues and bring these back to you. It is important
to note that we will have patient representation on our Executive
Committee, who can act as a liaison point between the Executives and the
Patient Council.
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(P) This is a very radical change but one that will allow the GPs
to be innovative and develop services that are truly in line with
patients’ needs. Practices have already been fund-holders in previous
years and in my experience this has always been of great benefit to the
patients.
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(P) Access to GPs needs to improve as difficulties in getting an
appointment may lead to more people going up to A&E at weekends
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(GPCC)
We have already seen much greater access to GP Practices over recent
years, with the vast majority of practices offering late night / weekend
appointments at least twice a week. Complaints regarding access have
also significantly reduced. We need to review all services available,
and promote the appropriate use of these services, as it may be that
patients could be seen more appropriately in a walk-in centre by a
nurse, or by a pharmacist, than by a GP. Patient education will play a
crucial role in helping to manage demand on GP services, which includes
raising awareness about using NHS resources appropriately – for
instance, tougher policies on patients that repeatedly fail to attend
appointments that they have booked, without letting their practice know.
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(P) The Appliances Service needs to be reviewed, as currently
patients are waiting too long.
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(GPCC)
This has already been flagged as a key priority for the GPCC. This
department should not necessarily be in a hospital setting, and must be
much more responsive and accessible – we have earmarked this as one of
the first services that we would like to see delivered in a different
way.
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(P) If
GPs are taking on more management responsibilities, how will they still
have time to see their patients, and how will GP Practices have the time
to take on all these services that are being moved out of hospitals?
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(GPCC)
GP Practices will remain committed to patient access and ensuring that
patients are able to see their GP / Practice Nurse in a timely and
convenient way. Also, not every service will be in every practice –
clusters of practices may decide to develop a service between them
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(P)
Will the Consortium continue to commission services from Peninsula
Health? (patient relayed positive experiences of the Audiology and
Rheumatology services – particularly with regard to short waiting times)
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(GPCC)
The Consortium will continue to seek to commission services that provide
the best quality of care, the best level of accessibility, and the best
value for money, for its patients. Peninsula, along with all providers,
would need to apply in order to be able to deliver a service on behalf
of the Consortium, and any applications would be judged in a robust
process. As long as healthcare continues to be free at the point of
delivery, and the service is considered to be the most appropriate for
the patients that it will be used by, working with different providers
should be welcomed – particularly as it extends the level of choice to
patients.
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(P) I
prefer to go to my GP practice rather than go up to the hospital – which
is often used for very inappropriate reasons rather than for the most
serious of cases. However, will the GPCC still work with the hospital
staff when providing care in the community?
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(GPCC)
The GPCC has an excellent track record of developing community services
in collaboration with hospital colleagues, and we will continue to do
this. Where it is appropriate, we will bring Consultants out of the
hospital to do sessions within the community, to ensure that patients
with the more complex needs, but who do not need to go up to the
hospital, can still be properly managed. This is already working well
within many of the services that are commissioned locally, for instance
ENT and Dermatology.
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