The Developing General Practice: Providing Healthcare Solutions for the Future paper from the BMA lists the moves that are needed tosecure the future of general practice, including the following:
- All patients with long-term and complex needs jointly managed through an integrated team in line with a single care plan led by the most appropriate named clinician
- Collaborating with other practices to provide extended hours surgeries at a range of different times across a community
- GPs offering more alternatives to a face-to-face consultation when clinically appropriate, such as dedicated telephone and/or Skype-like surgeries
- Creating long-term incentives to expand GP partnerships
- Investing in initiatives to support GP returners back to work
- Providing an NHS occupational health service to support all practice staff
- A 10-year rolling programme to ensure all GP practices that require it have a purpose-built surgery, working with NHS bodies, Local Authorities and third-party developers where necessary
- Lengthening GP training to a fully-funded five years with a much greater proportion of time training based in general practice
- Encouraging GPs to build on their role as patient advocates by challenging and reporting on poor care provided by local health or social care providers.
- High quality first point of contact urgent care telephone triage, led by clinicians rather than relying solely on computer algorithms allowing a presenting problem to be managed in the most efficient and cost effective way
- Sharing electronic care records (with requisite consent and information governance standards) with other providers of care to optimise personalised care in the community
- Greater collaboration between practices and social care services, with named social workers or team leaders aligned to every practice and regularly attending multidisciplinary meetings
- Longer consultation times so GPs can fully meet the needs of their patients who are living with many and increasingly complex long-term conditions, so providing increased personalised care for each and every patient who needs it
