Recently the group met to discuss the challenges currently facing primary care and what is needed to achieve transformational change.
High impact changes that challenge the notion that “5,000 more GPs are needed”.
The following is just one example of high impact change that have been submitted by NPCN members to show how transformational change can be achieved
Dr Shikha Pitalia, GP, SSP Health:Cardiology e-consultations
Cardiology e-consultations were piloted using telemedicine ECGs in three regions. They supported busy GPs to make evidence-based decisions when faced with patient expectations of admission or referral. The scheme was extremely popular with patients as the rapid access reduced anxiety.
This was a simple pathway with minimal GP time needed to generate referral. It was a shared service between groups of practices. Technicians performed the ECGs in the primary care location and the information was transmitted via a secure N3 connection to a NHS consultant cardiologist. The average time for report was 2 hours with consultant’s recommendation whether to refer, admit or manage within primary care.
Results:
• Reduced referrals by 80%
• Reduced avoidable hospital admissions and zero day admissions
The scheme was funded by the NHS England Innovation Fund. This could be funded by commissioners in the future because minimal investment is needed for implementation as the service generates savings. The cost of the service is a fraction of PBR (payment by results) tariffs for A&E attendance, cardiology outpatient attendance and emergency admissions, many of which are zero day admissions.
The report contains a number of great high impact change solutions and you can read the full report here. https://www.dropbox.com/s/hp0xy4vu4dm8ngd/NAPC%2BNPCN_FEB%20Report_DM150216%5B1%5D.pdf?dl=0