Developing our strategy for General Practice in North Central London

We would really value your feedback on a GP strategy that is currently being written for Islington, and the remaining North Central London Boroughs (Haringey, Camden, Barnet and Enfield). Please find attached the summary version of the strategy along with the below overview. Once you have read the summary the 2 questions we would really value your feedback on are:

  1. Whether there are any other priorities or aims we should be considering?
  2. Whether there is anything relating to general practice services which is particularly relevant to parents and children and which you want us to consider?
I would like to give my feedback

I would like to give my feedback

Developing our strategy for GPs in North Central London

In North Central London we have some great general practice services and examples of excellent care, and since April 2017, appointments with general practice have been available 8am-8pm seven days a week. However there is still much to do given the ongoing unnecessary variation ranging from how people are able to access services, to the quality of services received. General practice is also facing huge pressure in terms of workforce, demand and funding. We want to make this better for patients and all general practice staff.

We have a history of collaborating on primary care in north central London. We are now refreshing our commissioning strategy for the area, focusing specifically on general practice and its role as the foundation of the NHS. We have worked with key partners to develop a draft strategy, but we want to hear from you about what else we need to consider with our strategy.

We have said that our priorities are to:

  • Have a resilient, sustainable and thriving general practice – by bringing new roles into general practice such as specialist nurses, mental health workers, pharmacists. And by supporting practices to work together more effectively so as to share efficiencies.
  • Ensure high quality, equitable and person centred care – by improving our CQC inspection ratings, using technology to support long term conditions, and working more closely with patients to ensure our services meet their needs.
  • Develop care that is more proactive, accessible and coordinated – by supporting our patients and population to take care of themselves and stay independent, to make our service more accessible (e.g. through increased online access), and by improving how information is shared and care is coordinated by staff working across different services.
  • Have integrated services that respond to the needs of the patient and the population – by building closer partnership working between general practice, hospitals, local authorities and voluntary sector so that patients experience a smooth a ‘journey’ as possible through the health and care system.
  • In order to deliver our priorities, we will be seeking to improve how we use digital technologies and how we manage our buildings and estates. We will use quality improvement teams to target specific areas where we need to improve and by developing networks of practices who can work together with other health and care organisations to deliver care for their local population.

Related articles