THE NATIONAL Health Service is expanding the levels of support available to patients in GP practices across the South East, including those in Reading.
The new GP acess recovery plan has seen nearly 4,000 additional staff recruited across the South East since 2019.
It means that larger teams are now on hand to help patients with non-medical support, such as those seeking mental health or other advice.
The NHS is now raising awareness of the expanded teams so that patients know that help is available for those seeking advice on loneliness, debt, or housing.
They cite figures which show that one in five GP appointments is for a non-medical reason, and are training 7,500 staff to assess what a patient’s needs are and where best to direct them for support.
This includes pharmacists, mental health practitioners, paramedics, physiotherapists, and social prescribers, who signpost and make referrals to other services.
Tim Caroe, Medical Director of the primary care transformation primary care transformation programme, NHS England South East, said: “Record numbers of people are seeking support from their GP practice.
“With teams treating half a million more patients a week compared to before the pandemic, this demand is only going to increase with an ageing population so the NHS must adapt its services to match this need.
“Whilst we want to support people to see their family doctor when they need to, the NHS is giving people more options with nearly 4,000 new staff working in General Practice in the South East since 2019 meaning patients can get specialist support from mental health professionals, physios, and pharmacists without needing to see a GP first.”
Dr. Bharan Kumar, Clinical Director at the SHAPE Primary Care Network, said the additional team at his practice has been making a difference to patients with high blood pressure in particular.
“We recognised that our services needed to change to meet the needs of our patients, especially those living with long term conditions like Hypertension (high blood pressure).
“We adapted our ways of working, brought new clinicians and team members on board and utilised new technologies to support our work.”
TV doctor and NHS GP Dr Ellie Cannon is also supporting the NHS campaign and, said: “As a GP, it’s so helpful to have a range of health professionals on hand at my general practice, as it means my patients benefit from a team of specialists that can help them in many different ways.
“Whether it’s mental health support or help with vaccinations or advice about their bones and joints, having more health professionals means that patients get the best possible care.
“Remember, by giving us more information about what you need help with when you contact your practice, we can get you the right care you need.”
