Plan To Increase Face-To-Face GP Consultations
Britain's doctors are urged to see more patients face-to-face as ministers unveil a £ 250million winter bailout.
Social distancing rules should also be relaxed so that general practitioners can fit more people into their buildings. It comes amid growing criticism of the decline in face-to-face dating since the start of the pandemic.
Only 58% of patients were seen face to face on August 1, a full month after the restrictions ended. This compares to 54% in January and over 80% before the pandemic.
Patients also complained about long waits on phone lines to make appointments. The £ 250m funding is part of the additional £ 5bn Covid fund announced last month to help the NHS until the end of the year and is in addition to the £ 12bn set aside for services quest GP. in addition to other temporary staff, doctors' offices will be able to use the money to recruit other temporary staff such as physiotherapists and chiropodists.
The announcement is part of a larger joint government and NHS England plan for GP services, which will be released on Thursday. It should promise upgrades to phone systems, ensuring more patients can talk to GPs quickly and easily, and reduced paperwork by allowing other staff to provide related evidence at work and fitness to drive checks.
General practitioner practices will also be named in the ranking if they are deemed not to have provided an appropriate level of “access”.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "I am determined to ensure that patients can see their GP however they want, no matter where they live. I also want to thank the doctors GPs and their teams for their tremendous healthcare efforts. "Our new plan provides information on the GP team with targeted investment and support. This will help address underperformance, take the strain off staff so that he can spend more time with patients and increase the number of face-to-face appointments.