Issue - meetings

25.1     The Committee received a report which provided an update on access to Primary Care services in East Sussex, including GP appointments and surgeries, and access to NHS Dentistry.

25.2     The Committee asked what is going to change to increase access to regular NHS Dentistry appointments.

25.3     Amy Galea, Chief Primary Care Officer NHS Sussex, outlined that there two elements in the report that address this question. One is the number of units of NHS Dentistry activity commissioned across East Sussex and the other is an increase units of activity post pandemic at two dental practices, one in Hastings and the other in St. Leonards who have capacity to offer more NHS appointments. In the longer term the hope is that the reforms announced by Government will increase access. NHS Sussex is also exploring with dental practices what flexibility there is locally across East Sussex to increase access and what NHS Sussex can do to support this. NHS Dentistry has previously been commissioned through a national contract before it was delegated to NHS Sussex and NHS Sussex is working with colleagues in NHS England to see what can be done to improve access. NHS Dentistry is facing some of the same workforce challenges and pressures that the rest of the NHS is facing.

25.4     In terms of access to GP appointments, the Committee asked if online booking and e-consult services are widely available across East Sussex.

25.5     Amy Galea responded that although GP appointment levels are at the same level or higher than before the pandemic, there is some variability across East Sussex in the offer from GP practices and the tools they use. Although online booking and e-consult can be incredibly helpful, some practices have taken the decision not to use them and ‘switch them off’. All practices across East Sussex have the ability to use these facilities and NHS Sussex is trying to ensure that all GP practices are offering them to their patients by the end of January 2023. NHS Sussex is working with practices to improve the publicity of these facilities by including information on their web sites and include them within the literature and leaflets they give out within their practices. The other way of accessing GP services is through the NHS App and around 60% of people in East Sussex are using the app, which allows you to book an appointment at your GP practice.

25.6     The Committee asked if booking GP appointments by telephone will be restricted to particular times (e.g. 8.00am to 9.00am as some practices do) or will can people ring anytime.

25.7     Amy Galea outlined that NHS Sussex is aware that some practices only make e-consult available at some times of the day and are trying to make sure this additional functionality is available at all times of the day. The reason for this is that practices need time to think through how they are going to manage the different forms of access and communication channels with the resources they  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25