Alarm at league table survey results

Practice Managers have raised concerns about the way in which a national patient survey has been published. The survey allows the creation of league tables for comparing practices.

Patient satisfaction with practices may have improved recently after several years of decline. Some 74% of people reported a good overall experience in the latest national GP-Patient survey. However, fewer than half reported it being easy to contact their practice and 34% said they waited too long for an appointment. The data was mostly collected online, for the first time this year, thereby making it hard to compare the data with previous years. In the survey, 89.9% said their needs were met at their last appointment.

Primary care organisations welcomed signs of improvement but the IGPM raised concerns about practice-by-practice reporting of the findings and the creation of local league tables by the media. It said many practices report that fewer than 1% of their patients took part.

It said: “A significant concern from our members is how these statistics will now be conveyed in the public domain. In some instances, this has then led to abuse, aggression and degradation from patients towards surgery staff, resulting in higher turnover and reduced staff morale.”

Don’t hamper new local partnerships

The ICSs that oversee healthcare in England should continue to enjoy freedom to pursue their own objectives, according to a major think-tank investigation.

ICSs have faced pressures on funding but have developed effective local partnerships, according to the King’s Fund. They have also faced “intense” pressure to hit national targets such as reducing waiting lists. The new Government should hold them to account in a way that reinforces local partnership working, it says.

Researcher Chris Naylor said: “Integrated care systems were born into a storm, but despite their rocky start, there are now signs of the benefits brought by more collaborative working through these structures. The new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has committed to avoiding imposing further structural changes in the NHS, which means the challenge is to make sure ICSs now have the best possible chance of driving improvements for patients.”

Frank assessment of NHS promised

One of the UK’s most eminent surgeons has been asked to give the Government a “raw and frank” assessment of the state of the NHS. The job is to be undertaken by Professor Lord Darzi, a former Labour Health Minister who now sits as an independent member of the House of Lords. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he wants nothing “held back”.

A group of GPs immediately began briefing Lord Darzi on the crisis in general practice. A round-robin letter states: “We really cannot continue to run on fumes. We need a commitment from NHSE and the Government to significantly uplift core funding and continue to do so in line with inflation.”

Lord Darzi said: “As every clinician and every patient knows, the first step to addressing any health problem is a proper diagnosis. My work will analyse the evidence to understand where we are today – and how we got to here – so that the health service can move forward.”

Welsh practices unable to meet demand

Most practices in Wales are unable to meet patient demand, with growing concerns about patient safety, according to a new BMA survey.

In the survey, 91% of GPs said they could not meet patient demand. Almost all fear for patient safety. The findings were reported to members of the Welsh Senedd, its national parliament, at an event this week. The BMA warned that 73% of GPs are now willing to take some kind of industrial action – as is under consideration in England.

The BMA reported that 100 practices have now closed in Wales since 2012. Some 704 doctors signed a letter to the Welsh Government calling for “immediate action”.

Government pledges to tackle waiting times, but details are scant

The Government’s plans for improving general practice remained unclear after yesterday’s King’s Speech, which promised legislation on many of Labour’s manifesto pledges.

King Charles said the Government would seek to reduce waiting times in the NHS and “focus on prevention”, including anti-smoking legislation. He said: “My Government will improve the National Health Service as a service for all, providing care on the basis of need regardless of the ability to pay.”

The BMA Chair, Professor Philip Banfield, said: “The pledge to reduce waiting times is one we all want to see succeed. It will rely on meaningful engagement with the medical workforce – and crucially, solving the ongoing disputes with both junior doctors and GPs in England, while ensuring that years of real-terms pay cuts are reversed for all doctors.”