How can general practice do things differently?

What can be done quickly to reduce bureaucracy in general practice this winter? All practices in Dorset have been asked to feedback to NHS Dorset system leaders what they would like to see stop and improve to make general practice more efficient. The first Dorset GP Summit was held on the 9th of November and the result was a commitment from all NHS Dorset system leaders to reduce bureaucracy in general practice by 30% this winter. The first ideas were gathered with more to be considered in the coming weeks. Patricia Miller, Chief Executive of NHS Dorset: ‘The purpose of the summit was to engage with our GP colleagues – acknowledging Primary Care is the bedrock of the NHS. We wanted to create the opportunity to share experiences and opinions about how the system can work together to provide short term support to primary care colleagues for the winter, and how we can provide a sustainable, thriving general practice service overall. I was pleased to be able to open the session and provide an update on the ICB and wider system and ensure our GP colleagues know how much we value them and will work with them to create a Primary Care Sustainability Strategy and implement the recommendations from the recent Fuller Report. The guest speaker at the event was Dr Kheelna Bavalia, the Medical Director for NHS England. It was a great session, thank you to all colleagues for their commitment to solutions. We have committed to take the intelligence from that meeting and write to our primary care colleagues with some suggested actions within the coming week.’