Written evidence submitted by Moseley Avenue Surgery, Coventry (FGP0032)

 

To members of the committee looking into “The Future of General Practice”’

 

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute into this review. We would like to write briefly about the last point that the committee is seeking views on, namely “Making general practice more sustainable in the long term: The sustainability of the traditional partnership model given the workforce crisis, prioritisation of integrated care, and the move towards salaried GP posts.

 

Our surgery has been proudly serving our local population since 1938 and we currently serve a diverse population of just under 12,000 patients. We believe that the partnership model is essential to keep the NHS alive, hold privatisation at bay and ensure good value for NHS money.

 

General practice provides 90% of consultations at around 10% of the entire NHS budget. The partnership model is an extremely efficient part of the NHS. We believe the value of partnership lies in the long-term commitments. The long-term commitments to fellow partners, the practice team, the community and most importantly the patients and their families. These commitments produce supportive environments to work in, strong links with the local community and deep, open and healing relationships with patients. 

 

The millions of consultations that happen each day in Primary Care are not one off’s, but part of a journey to reach the destination, which is a valuable relationship between patient and healthcare professional. There have been multiple studies which proves the value this therapeutic relationship has, with strong evidence that it results in better health outcomes, greater satisfaction, and reduced emergency admissions. Partnerships have proven themselves time and time again with a fantastic track record in primary care.

 

As a partnership, we have worked very hard to address some of the workforce difficulties locally. We have adapted our environment to ensure that clinicians are well supported, improved our communication to ensure staff are kept involved and allowed flexible working to ensure our staff can balance their working career with their busy lives.

 

We have also quickly embraced new roles. In the last 4 years we have recruited two advanced nurse practitioners as well as embracing roles from our primary care network, including a physiotherapist, pharmacist, and a physician associate.

 

The job of a partner is, at times, exhausting, but highly rewarding. We are able to witness how a well-managed and well-staffed partnership is a wonderful place to work as a healthcare professional, while offering a great service to our patient population.

 

As a partnership we are a segment of the local community, giving back to our local society, breeding the ideals of tolerance and diversity, making, not always popular decisions, to best serve our unique population of patients and staff.

 

In conclusion, successful well-funded partnerships lie at the heart of creating a primary care that can attract and retain staff and therefore, lead to improved health outcomes and reduced emergency admissions. 

 

 

Yours Faithfully,

 

 

The Partners of Moseley Avenue Surgery, Coventry, UK

 

Nov 2021