Agenda item

To receive the Interim Report from the Primary Care Access working group.

The Senior Democracy Officer (Scrutiny) presented the recommendations from the interim report of the Access to Primary Care working group. The working group had taken place in the previous municipal year. Recommendations from the report were summarised and that next steps outlined. 

Following the presentation members asked the following questions:

What work was being completed to ensure that Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) adhered to the same standards?

The Executive Director: Director of Delivery and Transformation, NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, said that a review of PPGs was currently underway. The Executive Director welcomed the recommendation regarding the Code Of Conduct for PPGs and suggested it be included in the pack provided for PPGs. 

Did all practices have a PPG?

The Associate Director: Primary Care, NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, agreed that it was a requirement for all practices to have one, however, acknowledged that some did not currently have an operational PPG.

A discussion took place regarding the funding of primary care.

This was not just a concern for Primary Care, funding was a concern across the whole health system, with ongoing work to secure additional funding.

With more housing development, could Section 106 funding be secured for health services?

The Executive Director: Director of Transformation and Deliver, NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, noted that S106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding had been difficult for health systems to access. Members requested that further information be provided on this area. 

How could the Council support with public engagement?

The Director: Health & Wellbeing, Telford & Wrekin Council, said that further communications work from the communications team at the Council could be done along with resident consultation work to look at the public’s perspective of Primary Care in the Borough.

The Service Delivery Manager: Hospital and Discharge and Better Care Fund Lead, Telford & Wrekin Council, also commented that work could be done to clearly demonstrate how all parts of the system operated to the public.

Dr Chan, TELDOC, stated that online reviews for practices across the country showed an indicator of affluence, with practices located in more deprived areas showing a lower rating than a practice in a more affluent area. Work was being undertaken to understand this trend further.

Was best practice reviewed and implemented?

Across the country, Primary Care was facing similar issues. Best practice was regularly reviewed and implemented where appropriate but it was noted that each practice had a different demographic and not every scheme would work in every practice.

Could penalties be used when patients miss appointments?

Imposing penalties would be difficult, due to the various reasons for missing appointments, it was also noted that more vulnerable residents may miss appointments but be unable to afford a fine.

A discussion took place regarding the upcoming changes where pharmacists would be prescribers.

The difficulties and concerns with this were discussed and it was noted that GP practices relied heavily on income from vaccinations to support services.

What could be done to reduce the number of calls at 8am from people trying to book an appointment?

This was a national issue and was difficult to address. 

 Members noted that they had previously been informed of the difficulty in recruitment, not just for medical staff, but all staff group including administrative staff. This was a national issue and Members discussed the recent national plan for staffing.

RESOLVED – that:

a) The recommendations within the interim report be approved;

i) A formal and open invitation to all GP practices and Patient Participation Groups across the Borough be sent requesting that they engage with the second stage of this review to ensure that a full and balanced picture can established;

ii) Communication with all partner organisations and especially the public during the development of and the implementation of their strategy be prioritised by the Integrated Care System (ICS);

iii) Consideration to be given by the ICS to the model implemented by Taunton Vale and how relevant it may to be the needs of the population of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

iv) The ICS to advise how they are ensuring that PPGs are established in every practice and how these are managed.

          v) The ICS to consider writing a local code of good practice     for the running of PPGs.

b) A further working group be established to consider the issue further.

Cllr J Urey left the meeting at 2:48pm.