2nd Dorset General Practice Alliance Summit Feb 1st 2023
Taking time out to consider how to make General Practice in Dorset sustainable - watch a quick 60 second clip to find out what its all about.
The 2nd General Practice Summit was held on the 1st February 2023. The focus for this summit was on potential partnership models for general practice in Dorset to ensure we are sustainable in the future, both in the short and the long term. Having the time to listen to a range of models that are in operation in Dorset and nationally was welcomed by everyone and it was beneficial for all to take the time discuss the issues and challenges faced with a specific focus on solutions.
We heard from five different models and thanks to all who took time out to share their journey with us:
Small single practice - Dr Edward Ford, Minehead Medical Centre Employee Owned Trust Model. This model is explained in more detail on this youtube link - Partnership or salaried: a new option for primary care business - YouTube
Large single practice - Dr Nick Evans, GP Partner and Clinical Director, Shore Medical - a large scale merger model of General Practice in Dorset.
Small group of practices – Dr Dominic Hennessy, Chairman, Castleman Healthcare Ltd a GP federation providing additional support and services to 13 practices within 3 Primary Care Networks in Dorset.
Medium group of practices – Kerry White, Managing Director, Symphony Healthcare Foundation Trust owned General Practice.
Large scale model - Penny Harris, Chief Executive, Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust Support Model for General Practice and
Dr Ryan Hobson, GP Partner and Clinical Director Walsall PCN.
We also asked those in attendance from general practice what they need to do now to make their practice sustainable and how they will take the ideas forward. We asked delegates to set their own actions and we will hear back from them at our next Board meeting on how they are progressing with these and what other support may be needed to explore potential options within Dorset.
Similar themes emerged from the discussions from our first GP summit including the need to reduce bureaucracy, to have more positive and consistent communications to patients about the general practice workload, and the need to have flexibility with funding and workforce. Delegates indicated that the biggest challenges facing general practice in introducing any new model includes their workforce, the funding to make it happen, estates and practice culture for accepting change.
What did we take from this Summit?
The journey taken by all these organisations to introduce a new operating model requires leadership and time. The starting point for all was a result of an impetus to support their own or a group of practices to be sustainable. The Alliance is not recommending one specific model for general practice in Dorset as there will continue to be different models applied which should be embraced, and a range of support given to practices and PCNs that wish to consider a new model needs further consideration.
Dr Forbes Watson, Chair of the Alliance summed it up: ‘We do need to change and to do something different, to consider what we can do locally and to feed that back to Dorset ICB and nationally. We should influence them to make these changes for and with us. There is an opportunity to help design something that is better than what we have now and to make it better for the future. We can’t do it ourselves, but healthcare wouldn’t exist in this country without primary care’.
Improving the interface with primary, secondary and community care
It has also been agreed that primary care can use approved letter templates to send back to secondary and community care regarding info and actions on patient’s referrals and results and these have been shared with all practices to access. They will also be available on Arden’s and S1 quick access template links.
The Alliance has developed a draft MOU about how the healthcare sector in Dorset should be working together. This document is with the ICB for consideration and it is hoped this will be approved early March 2023.
February 8th 2023