The Department of Health and Social Care has announced £240 million to support tech enhancements in primary care and funding for 6,500 care navigator training places.
Ahead of the publication of the GP recovery plan, the announcement follows the direction recently noted around improving access, introducing cloud telephony and mandating prospective record access.
On the care navigator role, NHS England and DHSC will fund one member per practice, in which they describe the role will “help assess, prioritise, respond and assist”.
DHSC adds that the ‘expert navigator’ role “can help make sure those who want to see a named GP or preferred member of staff can do while those who are happy to see a duty doctor can also”. They expand to highlight that the care navigators will help to direct patients to other professionals within the general practice or other medical professionals, such as community pharmacists.
In the announcement, DHSC said: “Practices across England will also be given £240 million this year to embrace the latest technology, replacing old analogue phones with modern systems.” This follows a recent letter to GP practices, highlighting the requirement to mandate the use of cloud based telephony. The letter said that “all practices need to be aware, that from the end of 2025, all analogue ISDN and PSTN lines will be removed for use in all home and business settings” and that “only cloud-based platforms will be supported”.
Steve Barclay, Health and Social Care Secretary, commented: “We are already making real progress with 10% more GP appointments happening every month compared to before the pandemic. I want to make sure people receive the right support when they contact their general practice and bring an end to the 8am scramble for appointments.
“To do this we are improving technology and reducing bureaucracy, increasing staffing and changing the way primary care services are provided, which are all helping to deliver on the government’s promise to cut waiting lists.”
Responding to initial details of the GP access recovery plan, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the RCGP, said: “Investment into improved telephony systems in general practice with sufficient numbers of trained people to use them is one part of the jigsaw in improving access, and it is something the College has called for and welcomes.
“We await further details of the full access recovery plan, but ultimately the best way to improve access to GP care and address the intense workload and workforce pressures GP teams are working under, is to increase numbers of fully trained, full-time equivalent GPs through effective recruitment and retention schemes.”
