Practices which fail to provide an 'appropriate' level of face-to-face appointments will not be eligible for new NHS funding worth £250m.
It is not clear how"appropriate levels" of face-to-face care will be defined, but those who do not meet the standard will be offered support to improve.'What happens to the NHS is hugely important'GP telephone systems will be upgraded to reduce long waits over the phone, social distancing in practices could be changed or reduced, and patients will be able to see nurses, pharmacists and paramedics at GP practices.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said:"I am determined to ensure patients can see their GP in the way they want, no matter where they live."COVID: Another winter of strain for the NHS? He said this will"tackle underperformance, taking pressure off staff so they can spend more time with patients". Only 58% of GP appointments in England in August were face-to-face, compared with four in five before the pandemic in August 2019. The British Medical Association said the plans would not help GPs improve care in the way they had hoped and described the government as"ignorant" to the scale of the crisis.September: National Insurance rise to fund NHS reform GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey criticised the"preoccupation" with face-to-face appointments and said a hybrid approach was needed. "GPs across England will be truly horrified that this is being presented as a lifeline to general practice, when in reality it could sink the ship altogether," he said, warning that a"lack of action" would force many GPs to exit the profession. Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said"good care can and is being delivered remotely and some patients prefer it".September: NHS to get extra £5.4bn, says Javid The plans mark a significant change from July last year, when then health secretary Matt Hancock said all initial GP appointments"should be teleconsultations unless there's a compelling clinical reason not to". Campaign group EveryDoctor, which represents 1,700 UK doctors, said earlier on Wednesday that"it's a bit of a shock" GPs have been"blamed" for the amount of telephone consultations offered to patients when they were just following government guidance. The NHS's Long Term Plan, published in 2019, proposed that all patients be given a"digital-first" option for accessing GP care. EveryDoctor also expressed concern that"inflammatory" comments about access to GPs was leading to"abuse" of staff - another issue that will be addressed in the new blueprint through the development of a"zero-tolerance campaign".
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