NHS England 31 March 2017
- Key improvements for 2017/18 and 2018/19
- Boost GP numbers.
- By March 2018 at least 40% of the country will benefit from extended access to GP appointments at evenings and weekends. By March 2019 this will extend to 100% of the country.
- More convenient patient access to GP services. From October 2017 practices who shut for half days each week will not be eligible the extended access scheme.
- Expansion of multidisciplinary primary care through increase the number of clinical pharmacists and mental health therapists in primary care andincentivising physician assistants to work in primary care.
- Modernisation of primary care premises.
- Changes will be implemented through:
- investment in GP services
- Practices will work together in ‘hubs’ or networks.with a combined patient population of at least 30,000-50,000. (The model does not require practice mergers or closures and does not necessarily depend on physical co-location of services.)
- Development of a successor to QOF.
