Better choice for patients as GP Practice Data available for 1st time

PATIENTS will be able to make more informed choices on the GP practice they choose to visit after data showing detailed appointment waiting times was published for the 1st time ever, on Thursday, 22 November 2022.

The statistics, which cover all GP practices across England, is being made available to inform patients how many appointments each practice is delivering and on the length of time taken from booking an appointment to the appointment itself.

This will improve transparency about performance and give patients more information to help them make informed choices when choosing their practice.

The statistics, NHS Digital's website, will form part of the GP data published monthly which for the 1st time will include details at practice level. This was announced in Our Plan for Patients.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:- "We promised to prioritise patients and improve access and that is exactly what we have done; and this is just the start. I'm determined to make it easier for people to get an appointment with their GP practice when they need 1 and this will allow patients to make a more informed choice about the care they receive."

The Autumn Statement reaffirmed the Government's expectation that all those who need an appointment can get 1 within 2 weeks, with urgent appointments on the same day.

This will include offering 1 million additional appointments and providing an additional 31,000 phone lines, which will help people avoid the 8am rush for appointments, with new digital tools to improve IT systems and ease administrative burdens.

Minister of State for Health Neil O'Brien said:- "This is about making sure patients can make genuine choices about where to access their care. More than 90% of a patient's direct experience of the NHS is through primary care and their GP practices so it is vital appointments are available when needed. This Government reiterated its commitment to the NHS during the Autumn Statement and improving access to data is just the start."

The Government is also set to reach its target of 26,000 additional members of primary care staff and has hit its target for new GP trainees; more than 4,000 this year; for the 5th year in a row.

This comes as we provide more support for the sector, with struggling GP practices receiving support with their most acute access challenges to improve performance; such as the delivery of a framework to support all practices to secure cloud based telephony systems.

Work also continues to incentives the most experienced GPs to stay in practice by amending....

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Over 4,000 trainee GPs accepted on placements

WITH demand for GP services at an all-time high, we're pleased to report more than 4,000 new trainees have accepted placements to join the profession, figures published by Health Education England (HEE) has recently been reveal.

As the organisation responsible for providing training places for GP specialty training recruits and managing the specialist training process, it means we have hit the Government's target for GP specialty trainee recruitment for the 5th year running.

Through the Choose GP campaign Health Education England is recruiting foundation year Doctors as well as locally employed / trust grade Doctors and consultants who want to retrain as a GP.

Figures from NHS Digital show there are 9,628 GPs in training grade in GP placements across England, as of September 2022.

Professor Simon Gregory, Medical Director, Primary and Integrated Care at HEE, said:- "I'm delighted that so many Doctors have accepted their offer on GP specialty training programmes across England. There is no denying that it is a difficult time for the profession, with GPs under growing pressure as demand increases; but it is heartening that thousands of Doctors are continuing to see general practice as a rewarding and valuable career. We have consistently met or exceeded annual GP training targets and initiatives like the national Choose GP campaign demonstrate our ongoing commitment to helping to provide a sustainable workforce."

Professor Wendy Reid, Director of Education and Quality and National Medical Director, HEE, said:- "This is fantastic news. It has never been more important to promote careers in primary care and these figures are a reflection of the hard work of HEE teams to yet again meet this target. Trainees have an important role in primary care and we are grateful for their dedication in providing care for patients across England. By meeting this target we are continuing to attract people to the profession to provide much-needed care to local communities."

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said:- "GPs makes a real difference to communities and I'm delighted that once again we have hit our recruitment target and more medical students are choosing a career as a GP. This pipeline of talent will strengthen our growing primary care workforce helping patients get appointments and access the right service at the right time. I'm hugely appreciative to GPs and their teams for all the hard work they do every day in caring for us and our loved ones."

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Better choice for patients as GP Practice Data available for 1st time

Over 4,000 trainee GPs accepted on placements