Department of Health and Social Care
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More areas to get extra GPs and sexual health services
Patients right across the North West are to benefit from the next round in the drive to find extra GPs. Health Minister Andy Burnham today announced the next five areas that will benefit from the programme which will help around 55,000 thousand patients get easier access to family doctors and sexual health clinics.
The new services expected to open are extra family practices, walk-in sexual health centres and family planning services. Next to benefit will be Ashton Leigh and Wigan, Bolton, East Lancashire, Manchester and Trafford with other areas also set to join the programme in the coming months. The contracts for the new services will run for an initial five years, with the potential to extend for longer.
The 'Fairness in Primary Care Procurement' programme is expected to provide patients with better access to a family doctor and more choice of GP, including flexible opening hours and extended services, such as minor surgery. All local residents will have the choice to access any new services.
New services being planned in each of the five areas include:
Ashton Leigh and Wigan - extra general practices in Ashton in Makerfield and Golborne, Atherton and Tyldesley, Ince and Platt Bridge and Leigh and Higher Folds.
Bolton - an extra general practice
Trafford - a walk-in sexual health and family planning service
East Lancashire - an extra general practice in Accrington
Manchester -an extra general practice in Charlestown.
Health Minister Andy Burnham said:
"I am delighted to be able to announce that five more areas in the North West will benefit from extra primary care services which will enable 55,000 thousand more patients to get access to essential services.
"GPs are largely providing a good service, but there are still areas where NHS patients cannot rely on traditional practices. We want to continue to help the NHS plug these remaining gaps by introducing these new services, reducing the pressure on existing practices and giving patients the choice they deserve.
"This is yet another step towards delivering our pledge made in January 2006, in the White Paper, 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say' to establish a national procurement programme addressing the health inequalities in the most under-doctored areas throughout England."
Although there is no national shortage of GPs, towns and cities with the most GPs have more than double the least. All the five areas involved in this next wave of the programme currently have significantly fewer GPs per person than the national average of 57.9 GPs per 100,000 people (Ashton Leigh and Wigan 45.1; Bolton 54.8; Trafford 51.5; Manchester 47.8; East Lancashire 46.7). The department aims to bring these areas up to at least the national average.
The Department of Health-led procurement will provide the local NHS with access to resources and expertise. The department will centrally manage the procurement process for Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), while PCTs will own, manage and sign-off their local contracts.
Over the coming months, the department will work with further PCTs with the fewest GPs for their populations, as identified in the white paper, as well as other relatively under-doctored or Spearhead PCTs, to invite new providers to deliver extra local services.
The programme aims to attract a broad range of providers, from existing entrepreneurial GPs to social enterprises and corporate independent providers.
Advertisements will appear in both the national and local media from the end of June to help ensure that the full range of potential providers are aware of the programme, including local GPs.
New services are expected to open to patients by Spring 2008.
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Department of Health has developed the 'Fairness in Primary Care Procurement' programme to deliver the 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say' White Paper commitment to tackle inequalities in access to GP services in the most under-doctored PCTs.
2. The new services being procured will be defined by PCTs based on the needs of local patients. The scope of services could include:
- General Practice / Family Practice;
- Out of Hours Services;
- Primary Care Walk In Centre (PCWICs);
- Minor Injuries Unit (MIU);
- Urgent Care Centres ; and
- Other services which may include smoking cessation, extended minor surgery, contraception implants, care for drug misuse, care for the homeless, service for violent patients, primary care mental health services, sexual health services, rehabilitation services (e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy).
3. The programme will utilise the Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contract to attract providers with innovative solutions. Further information on the APMS contract can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/PrimaryCare/PrimaryCareContracting/APMS/fs/en
4. The new services will operate under the same principles as current NHS providers. The new services will deliver NHS services free at the point of use.
5. All of the proposed schemes are subject to public consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2001. Consultation has commenced in relation to all the above local procurements.
6. To date, two PCTs have signed Government-brokered contracts with new providers as part of an earlier pilot programme and new services for patients have already opened their doors.
- Barking and Dagenham PCT commissioned independent sector provider, Care UK, to deliver a new GP practice and Walk-in Centre (services opened July 2006).
- City and Hackney PCT commissioned Mercury Health to deliver integrated services at a new facility in the Stamford Hill area of Hackney (services opened August 2006).
7.For enquiries contact 020 7210 4850.
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