Issue - meetings

1.1.        The Committee considered a report on the state of access to GP practices in East Sussex.

1.2.        Dr David Warden, Chair, Hastings and Rother Clinical Commissioning Group (HR CCG); Amanda Philpott, Chief Officer, Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford Clinical Commissioning Group (EHS CCG) and HR CCG; Jessica Britton, Chief Operating Officer, EHS CCG/HR CCG; Ashley Scarff, Director of Commissioning/Deputy Chief Officer, High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (HWLH CCG)  Dr Peter Birtles, HWLH CCG; and Sally Smith, Director of Primary Care and Integration, HWLH CCG responded to questions from HOSC.

Extent of GP vacancies

1.3.        Amanda Philpott explained that the greatest number and highest proportion of GP vacancies are in the HR CCG area, where there are currently 16 vacancies out of 97 GP positions. In the EHS CCG area the vacancy rate is 11 out of 120. Sally Smith said that the greatest number of vacancies in the HWLH CCG area are in Newhaven and Peacehaven, but recent vacancies have arisen in Rotherfield, Crowborough, and Wadhurst.

Work to support individual GPs

1.4.        Amanda Philpott explained that newly qualified GPs are increasingly looking for a ‘portfolio career’ where working as a GP forms part of a wider clinical role. To accommodate this new working practice and to tackle GP shortages CCGs in the East Sussex Better Together (ESBT) area have implemented the following initiatives:

·         A GP portfolio fellowship scheme that allows junior doctors to work in a GP practice for 2-3 days alongside working, for example, in an acute hospital or within mental health services. This improves the variety of a GP’s working week and improves the spread of knowledge between primary and secondary care.

·         The availability of a GP bursary scheme for new GPs;

·         The employment of physician associates to reduce the administrative burden on GPs; and

·         The option for part-time, flexible mentoring work for older GPs who are otherwise planning to retire.

Amanda Philpott confirmed that work to support GPs had all begun to be put into practice and was either in a pilot stage, or in the process of being rolled out across the ESBT area.

Work to support GP practices

1.5.        Amanda Philpott and Dr David Warden outlined some of the initiatives established by the ESBT CCGs to help GP practices, including:

·         supporting the GP Federation to run a GP locum bank that administers requests for locum GPs centrally that would otherwise be made by individual GPs.

·         Encouraging pharmacists in the ESBT area to work with networks of 3-4 GP practices, or be employed directly by a GP practice. Pharmacists perform medication reviews of patients in consultation with the GPs and perform care home visits. Most practices that have used pharmacists have achieved considerable savings in their prescribing budget.

1.6.        Sally Smith outlined the initiatives established by HWLH CCG to help GP practices, including:

·         The Enhanced Help in Care Homes team, which is a GP-led multi-disciplinary team (including a pharmacist) that supports patients in care homes and nursing homes. The team  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28