Alliance Report: Creating Sustainable General Practice in Dorset May 25th 2023

The Dorset General Practice Alliance Report May 25th 2023: Creating Sustainable General Practice in Dorset.

NHS Dorset commissioned the Dorset General Practice Alliance to produce a report in order to have a better understanding of the challenges facing general practice locally and what is needed to ensure that it is sustainable in the coming years. This report sets out an overview of these challenges with ten key themes that need addressing both locally and nationally, and provides recommendations and actions for consideration and implementation to make this happen.

General Practice is the bedrock of healthcare within the NHS. There are challenges being seen right across the country, which have already been reported by Royal College of General Practitioners and by the Patricia Hewitt Review. We recognise these challenges in Dorset and they are reflected within this report.

We are encouraged by NHS Dorset’s positive support by recognising these challenges and asking the Alliance to review the position in Dorset and make recommendations to address them. What is evident from the research and engagement used to identify the proposed recommendations is that immediate action and interventions are needed now. Without these our services will become increasingly more difficult for practices to provide and for patients to access, and without a stable general practice there will be more pressure on other parts of the healthcare system in Dorset.

We are already working on the next steps with NHS Dorset about taking the recommendations forward.

The full report and appendices are located on the Alliance website.

May 25th 2023