Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Executive (copy enclosed).

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive setting out the background to its scrutiny on GP (General Practitioner) recruitment in the District. 

The Chairman introduced Mr Donald McGeachey from the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Dr Tiatino and Dr Julie McGeachy, local GPs and Ms Lesley Beale and Mr David Barker, practice managers at Blackwater and Longfields Doctors surgeries.

The report set out a number of potential questions to be raised with the health representatives present and in response to these and additional discussions the following information was provided:

·                 GP recruitment – Members were advised that there were problems recruiting GPs into the area and how very few wanted to settle permanently in practices opting instead for locum work.  It was noted that recruiting GPs into rural practices was a national problem.

·               Workforce diversification – The CCG were working alongside practices to identify their needs, this included upskilling staff e.g. teaching nurses how to prescribe drugs, increasing triage levels and utilising receptionists to assist in directing patients through the most appropriate channel of care.  Dr McGeachy reported on a number of initiatives that her practice were implementing as a way to try and improve the service offered to patients.  It was noted that Anglia Ruskin University may become a medical training centre in the future. 

·               Members were advised by the practice managers of work their respective practices were doing to provide a better service to patients alongside freeing up the availability of GPs.  This included utilising the NHS initiative for a pharmacist in practice and a text message reminder service to try and reduce non-attendance.  It was noted that if patients cancelled rather than not attend appointments this would provide a lot more availability.  There was also a need to educate patients to make them aware of the other options available to them within their GP practice.

·               Educating young people in the District of the benefits of being a GP was discussed.  The Chief Executive advised that the Council was working on a skills strategy and this was one of the areas the Council was looking to support.  She confirmed that Officers would engage directly with GPs as part of this piece of work and look to identify any areas where assistance could be provided by the Council.

·               Contributions to GPs through monies raised from planning applications and Section 106 agreement contributions was raised.  In response the Chief Executive reported that the NHS had recently been reviewing this and it was noted that the allocation of such funds was the responsibility of the NHS.  The Chief Executive agreed to seek confirmation from the CCG and NHS England on how allocation was prioritised.

In response to a question regarding the text message reminder service, it was noted that patients had to sign up to the service.  Councillor M S Heard proposed that a leaflet be produced by the CCG and distributed with new Council Tax bill letters due to be sent out by the Council, advising the public of the service and encouraging them to sign up.  This proposal was duly seconded and agreed.

The Chairman thanked those representatives for attending the meeting and the information they had provided.

RESOLVED that a leaflet be produced by the CCG and distributed with new Council Tax bill letters due to be sent out by the Council, advising the public of the service and encouraging them to sign up.