Agenda item

To receive the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board Primary Care Access Improvement Plan with a focus on Telford & Wrekin. 

The Director of Delivery & Transformation, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System presented that Primary Care Access Recovery Programme. The Board heard that following the publication of the delivery plan for recovering access to primary care in May 2023, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) were required to develop system-level access improvement plans. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Access Improvement Plan set out the ICB’s strategy to improve local access to general practice, maintain and improve patient satisfaction and work to streamline access to care and advice, which the ICB recognise is a key area of concern. 

Members were advised that three million GP appointments were delivered each year and that the number of appointments hadn’t increased materially during that time. The Director of Delivery & Transformation noted that workforce demands did affect patients first point of contact, stating that this could be with a pharmacist or a physio rather than a GP. In July 2023, seven out of ten patients were seen face to face, 55% of patients in Telford and Wrekin were seen the same or the next day. However, the Director of Delivery & Transformation recognised that public perception is that residents struggle to get an appointment, so access remains to be the key issue. To address this, Members heard that there were four national pillars that underpinned the plan; Empowering Patients through self-referral, the NHS app and the use of community pharmacy; Implementing Modern General Practice by introducing online access and digital telephony; Building Capacity by allowing practitioners to work at the top of their licences and directing patients to other forms of first contact; and Cutting Bureaucracy. The Director of Delivery & Transformation informed that Board that by the end of the March 2024, all practices would have a digital system that allowed them to manage calls and demand better. Once this was in place and working the ICB were expected to be in a better position to re-assess the gaps in services.

The Chair thanked the Director of Delivery & Transformation and invited Members of the Board to comment on the GP Practice Healthwatch Survey Report and the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan.

Members noted that the level of service received from GPs varied dependent on where residents were registered but that the results of the survey didn’t indicate that it was the most disadvantaged areas that had the worst service, and questioned what could be improved overall to address the inequalities. The Director of Delivery & Transformation advised that the existing primary care team were carrying out practice visits to look at quality measures including and beyond access. They highlighted that there were limited resources, but targeted support would be deployed based on those assessments.

Board Members highlighted that for many residents access remained to be the most important issue, as indicated by the Healthwatch survey. It was noted that whilst 50% of patients saw a GP on the same or next day that this figure did not include those who couldn’t get through or were turned away. The Director of Delivery & Transformation confirmed that the digital systems would provide this additional information once they were operational.

Members agreed that there needed to be greater communication and education provided to patients about how and where to access the most suitable services. The Board requested that the Director of Delivery & Transformation continued to provide Members with updates of the implementation and success of the plan and that the final GP Practice Healthwatch Survey Report be brought to the Board once completed.