A coffee shop (not a waiting room), a tri-shaw (‘Bib the Bike’) parked up outside to give a ride outdoors to those who don’t often get to feel the wind in their hair, a mindfulness group, an LGBT support group, an allotment, a 61-strong walking group, offering the use of a postal address to homeless people (along with a chat and a cuppa)…..this isn’t your average GP practice!
Our fab stuff is a story from Blackmore Vale Partnership, a GP practice in Dorset. It’s one of many practices around the country that have introduced a new way of working called Collaborative Practice that brings the practice team together with people from their community to do things differently and make life better for everybody.
Jane Dawes, Managing Partner at the practice, took part in a Collaborative Practice leadership development programme led by Altogether Better, and NHS network organisation. Somewhat sceptical that this might be “just another great idea in the NHS”, Jane describes how the programme helped quickly dispel some of the firmly held beliefs in the practice about the patients on their list and helped her and her GP colleagues begin to understand the reasons behind why the practice’s workload is as high as it is, what the solutions might be and what kind of skills, culture and mindset you need to think and do differently.
The basis for Collaborative Practice is the belief that general practice is the jewel in the crown of the NHS, but changing patterns of disease, an ageing population, the rise of Long Term Conditions and their social equivalents, such as isolation and loneliness mean that primary care is buckling under the pressure of dealing with ‘things that don’t go away’ that cannot simply be solved in a 10 minute appointment.
The starting point of Collaborative Practice is to explore attendance data to identify who’s coming most frequently and why; more often than not practices are surprised that it’s not they think it is, and for many of these patients the best solution to their issues can be found outside the consultation room.
The next step is to invite people from the local community to gift their time to collaborate with the team to help solve the problems that medicine can’t fix. Through this new, collaborative relationship and the combined talents, interests and enthusiasm of the team and local people, a whole range of new offers, activities, ways of working have developed that have changed not just the experience for patients and how their needs are met but the whole culture of the practice.
As Jane says, “It has been incredible for our practice, our practice staff…we’ve noticed changes from top to bottom in how our staff are behaving, how they’re talking about patients, how they’re liaising with patients when they see them…it’s just been the most enjoyable, inspiring and wonderful experience that we’ve ever had in our practice.”