Agenda item

To receive an update on the delivery of Primary Care in Wiltshire following the update received in March 2022 (minutes here).

The Director of Primary Care at the Integrated Care Board provided background information about patient access to appointments and outlined plans for enhanced access from 1 October. She also took the opportunity to report on the progress of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The director noted that the Primary Care Network (PCN) was facing significant workforce pressures, but, despite this, had delivered appointments 233,000 in July 2022, out of a Wiltshire population of 497,000. She reported that the proportion of patients receiving face-to-face appointments had increased in August, so that at least 65 percent were seen in person during the month. Further details were then given about plans to extend the hours available to patients, which would mean that a range of appointments would be available between 6:30pm to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 9am and 5pm on Saturdays. The director explained that Primary Care had been working closely with Healthwatch Wiltshire to plan the delivery of the extended service.

It was announced by the director that the focus of the autumn vaccine programme would be on the most vulnerable patients, with a particular focus on care homes and social care staff. She explained that large vaccination sites were running in Salisbury and at Bath Racecourse, but vaccinations were also available at smaller sites throughout Wiltshire’s PCNs. She also praised the communications teams who had been working alongside PCNs and their partners to improve the programme.

During the discussion key points included:

• Members thanked the director for the update.

• It was confirmed that plans for enhanced access were in place across all 13 PCNs in Wiltshire, covering the entire population. A panel, including representatives from Healthwatch Wiltshire, had met to review the plans of all of the PCNs to ensure that they were well coordinated and met required standards. The plans had also received NHS sign off at a national level.

• The director highlighted that the number of appointments across the whole of BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) had increased to 427,000 in August.

• In response to questions from members about the reasons why such a high proportion of the population required an appointment, the director explained that they were analysing the data about different types of appointments to gain a better understanding of the increase and would be happy to share their findings with the committee.  She also offered anecdotal evidence that much of the demand was from people with longer term conditions that were reticent to come forward during the hight of the pandemic.

• When asked about how the level of demand was communicated to patients, the director stated that there was a video available on the King’s Fund website, but that they could also review their communication at a local level, including through area boards.

• It was noted that there was one GP practice, in Calne that was not part of a PCN but that the ICB was working closely with the practice to ensure that it delivered demand.

• The director stated that she would welcome feedback from members relaying their conversations with the public about their experience of getting appointments. She also said that she would be happy to provide information about whether there was an associated increase in the number of missed appointments.

Resolved

1.    To thank the Integrated Care Board for the update on the delivery of Primary Care services across Wiltshire.

2.    To receive further data on the reasons behind the increased demand for GP appointments and the increased number of patients who consider their condition to be urgent.

3.    To schedule a future agenda item on the workforce challenges being faced across the Primary Care System.