News | Health
downsmail.co.uk Local GPs ‘to retain power’
FURTHER planned changes in strategic control of the localNHS has raised concerns regarding pa- tient services in theGP-led budget-holdingNHSWestKentClinicalCommissioningGroup (CCG).
These local commissioning
groups took over nationwide al- most five years ago, in April 2013, fromprimary care trusts and eight now serve Kent (West Kent, Dart- ford Gravesham & Swanley, Med- way, Swale, Canterbury&Coastal, Ashford, Thanet and South Kent Coast). The appointed commis- sioners are all GPs practising in their areas, supported by teams of officers. In west Kent, there have been 12
GP commissioners on the group’s governing body, but these have re- cently been reduced to seven to match the number of newGP clus- ters now formed in this area. Those elected are: Dr Garry Singh (Maidstone Central), Dr Tony Jones (Malling), Dr Andrew Rox- burgh (Sevenoaks), Dr Nick Cheales (Tonbridge), Dr Bob Bowes (Tunbridge Wells), Dr An- drewCameron (Weald),Dr Stefano Santini (Maidstone Wide). Dr David Chesover will hold his seat ex-officio and continue as clinical lead formental health. Now, a newrole of area strategic
commissioner forKent andMedway isbeingestablishedwiththe full sup- port ofNHSWest Kent CCG. Itwill start working in shadow formfrom April 1, for 12months, duringwhich time decisions will be taken about what will be commissioned locally by west Kent commissioners and whatwill be done at scale across the county. Dr Bob Bowes, chairman of NHSWestKentCCGsince its incep- tion, has assured the group that it will retain “its statutory accounta-
bility and the proposed arrange- ment was only for a transitional phase”. Hereiteratedthe importance of Kent andMedway groups work- ing together andgave assurance that patient and local care would not be compromised and remained a key focus forWestKentCCG. Maidstone area GP Dr Singh has
expressed concerns that local key voices couldpotentially be unheard beyond April, 2019. The current proposals have not yet addressed this issue and Dr Bowes explained it was possible for the CCG to in- fluence this process. An assurance
More health news on page 27
has been given to the group that it would still be responsible for “total control”.
The emergence of an area strategic commissioner comes at the same time as all clinical com- missioning groups in Kent are working closely on a sustainabil- ity and transformation plan for the future of health and social care in the county. A key thrust is more care in or closer to home with less dependence on hospi- tals.
The CCG is encouraging local GPs to make robust use of an invig- orated “quality inbox” to raise any concerns.
150 foreign GPs destined for Kent
THE serious shortage of local NHS staff, including GPs, is in- creasingly evident in reports to the GP-led West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Kent has been approved to re-
cruit 150 international GPs for the area. Interviews have started and west Kent will receive an agreed percentage. A bid has also been made to set
up a medical school and the group has been informed this “would have a significant im- pact” for the new GP clusters with regards student placements. Some see west Kent as having a
geographical advantage for re- cruitment because of its proxim- ity to Europe and London
16 Malling March 2018
(“currently saturated”). The GP shortage is causing
concerns about the impact on the existing workforce trying to cover the shortfalls and the pro- posed local care plan requiring seven-day working by practices. There have been previous re-
ports about the extent of vacan- cies in local hospitals and in the ambulance service. Shortages are increasingly evi-
dent elsewhere, including in mental health. Kent and Medway Partnership Trust in-patient units have a vacancy rate of 35%. Both Maidstone Community Mental Health and West Kent Crisis Res- olution Home Treatment Service have a rate of 17%. Many patients
complain of lack of a care plan and do not know what their treat- ment and options are.
New staff can add to problems while they are in training. This is a major reason for an increase in serious incidents (including pa- tient trips and falls) within the hospital trust, where the quar- terly figures have jumped from 27 in Q1 of 2016-17 to 54 in Q3 of 2017-18.
The local ambulance service (SECAmb), still in special meas- ures, is not helped by a report which says only 32% of staff rec- ommend it as a place to work and only 75% recommend care pro- vided by the trust.
A lile more
cash to spend GOVERNMENT funds for CCGs (including West Kent) are to in- crease by £1.4bn in 2018/19 aimed at “realistic levels of emergency ac- tivity”; additional elective activity to tackle waiting lists; adherence to mental health standards; transfor- mation commitments for cancer services and primary care. West Kent expects to have almost
£8m extra to deploy on top of the current year’s budget of £627.14m.
Need to improve
ALBION Place Medical Practice, Maidstone, remains in special measures and the CCG works closely with it to improve.
Cancer care trend
AN improvement of 7.22% to al- most 81% of patients starting can- cer treatment within 62 days of urgent GP referral has been achieved by increasing capacity – a trend expected to be sustained.
Care home liaison
ALMOST 50 of 71 care homes in west Kent are now covered by a new strategy of liaison and care by local GP practices. The CCG expresses concern for
seven homes where nearby prac- tices are unwilling to sign up at this stage and suggests “positive expe- rience by other practices may help in this process of persuasion”.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
