Public Accounts Committee 27 April 2017
- The committee has revisited their work on variation in access to general practice and conclude that, despite efforts to recruit GPs, make better use of other staff groups and improve retention the Department of Health and Health Education England are “are pursuing these discrete initiatives without a credible plan for how to develop a cost-effective, sustainable workforce.”
- Recommendations include
- NHS England must set out how it will collect data on the availability of, and waiting times for, appointments during core hours at each practice, and when it plans to publish these data.
- NHS England must report on how it is ensuring that CCGs are delivering the wider benefits intended from extended hours funding and minimising any duplication of funding.
- NHS England, working with Health Education England, should explore how it can encourage GP practices to employ a wider mix of staff to improve access and capacity in an effective and efficient manner.
