Health Management and Policy Alert

Continuity of care: delayed diagnosis in GP practices

Health Services Safety Investigations Body -
The investigation that underpinned this report identified that there is no specific requirement within the current GP contract to ensure GP practices provide continuity of care for their patients. The report concludes that making continuity of care an ‘essential requirement’ for GP practices could reduce the risk of a delay in diagnosing serious health conditions, and ease pressure on GP’s workload and welfare.

• Report
• Health Services Safety Investigations Body - news

Can you tell we care? Identifying unpaid carers using local authority and GP records

The Health Foundation -
There are at least 5.7 million unpaid carers in the UK who need support from the NHS and social care services. This can range from health checks, social prescribing and community support services to breaks and practical and financial support. This report looks at how many carers were known to GPs and local authorities in four areas of England and Wales.

• The Health Foundation - publications

Recording GP appointments: consolidated guidance

NHS England - 

This guidance is to support practices, primary care networks (PCNs) and integrated care boards (ICBs) to ensure that GP appointment data (GPAD) recording is being undertaken accurately locally by consolidating key information together in one place.

• Guidance
• More detail

Strengthening primary and community care services: the foundation for most care and treatment

Healthwatch England - 

This briefing shows how people's experiences of primary care can be used to support the development of a long-term vision for the NHS to strengthen these services.

• Briefing
• More detail

Hiding in plain sight: tackling malnutrition as part of the prevention agenda

Future Health - 

This report reveals that an estimated 464,000 people who are admitted to hospital have disease related malnutrition each year in England. This is the equivalent to over 50 people admitted to hospital every hour. People with malnutrition are more likely to visit their GP, be admitted to hospital and recover from treatment more slowly. The research estimates that the additional cost of a person with malnutrition is £7,775 per person per year at a total cost to the healthcare system in England of £22.6 billion. The report sets out a series of recommendations to tackle the issue of disease related malnutrition.

• Report
• Press release

The contribution of at scale primary care to system working

NHS Providers - 

The 2022 Fuller Stocktake report of primary care and integrated care systems focuses on the collaboration and coordination of multidisciplinary teams at a neighbourhood level to tackle inequalities, build capability, and meet demand and support the health and wellbeing of communities through a population-based approach. It advocates improving personalised care services, enhancing preventative care through general practice, and focusing on workforce and data as key enablers of change. The case studies in this briefing bring these ideas to life and demonstrate the ways in which larger scale primary care providers are, and can be, integral to NHS services working together in neighbourhoods, in place-based partnerships and in systems.

• Briefing

 

Dentistry in England explained

The King's Fund -
NHS dentistry is a pillar of the primary care system. But how is dentistry organised in England? This explainer explores the service's structure, commissioning and contracting, NHS dental appointment costs, workforce and the challenges facing this part of the health and care system.

• Explainer
• The King's Fund - publications

Supporting general practice at scale: fit for 2024/25 and beyond

NHS Confederation - 

This report summarises the key findings from the NHS Confederation’s engagement with Primary Care Network members on the state of general practice and primary care more broadly. It identifies a set of tangible recommendations for the upcoming GP and primary care network (PCN) contracts for 2024/25 and a series of noncontractual recommendations that the NHS Confederation believes will enable general practice and at-scale primary care to best deliver for patients in the short and medium term.

• Report
• More detail

Pharmacy Workforce Race Equality Standard report

NHS England -
This standard sets out to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in pharmacy teams in the NHS. This report provides the first national overview of the varied experiences that registered pharmacy professionals and wider team members in NHS trusts face.

• Report
• NHS England - publications

Frimley frailty community response service

NHS Confederation - 

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust set up a hospital at home and urgent community response service, to improve the quality of care for elderly frail patients and reduce unnecessary and lengthy hospital admissions.

• Case study