NHS North East and North Cumbria (NENC) ICB has shared an end of programme report from its Primary Care Access Recovery Plan during 2023-2025, focusing on the NHS App and modern general practice access implementation.
Key figures include an 18 percent increase in NHS App registrations, a 270 percent increase in record views, and a 229 percent increase in repeat prescription orders through the NHS App. The ICB has also observed a 130 percent achievement of self-referral targets, a 28.7 percent increase in Pharmacy First consultations, and 85,100 “additional” appointments enabled through estates improvements. 99 percent of practices have enabled the four core functions of the NHS App, and a 77 percent rating for overall patient experience at GP practices has been recorded.
Improvements made to digital telephony reduced the 8am call rush by 86.4 percent, with the ICB reporting that all practices were provided care navigation training and met key payments related to digital telephony and online requests. Its primary secondary interface project has improved transitions between primary and secondary care, and the ICB’s research has demonstrated improvements in patient confidence and satisfaction with access changes, “including NHS App usage and digital support”.
The programme will transition to the Modern General Practice Access programme, with the ICB pointing to plans to mitigate key risks around funding with continued digital support via NECS and transition funding for practices. Workforce capacity at both ICB and practice level is another area of risk it identifies, to be tackled through the ICB Workforce Strategy for 2025 – 2030.
Sharing assurances on the future of the programme, NENC reports that its primary care and digital teams are working closely with NHS England to maximise any resources available to support delivery of MGPA, whilst GPIT plans to identify future requirements are underway.
“NENC ICB will continue to support general practices with the delivery of the Modern General Practice Model to deliver improvements in access, continuity and overall experience for people and their carers,” the board states.
Wider trend: Primary care digital transformation
A recent HTN Now webinar looked at the role of digital in supporting the primary and secondary care interface, with our experts sharing details about their own approaches and experiences in this area, including best practices and key learnings. We also explored interoperability, collaboration between care settings and how digital can ensure patients are directed to the right place at the right time. Panellists included, Kath Potts, chief digital officer at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and Dr Sheikh Mateen Ellahi, GP and practice partner at Elm Tree Surgery and South Stockton Primary Care Network.
Digital Health and Care Wales conducted a market discovery exercise to explore the ambient voice technology solutions currently available and capable of meeting the needs of general practice and primary care throughout the region. The general medical services team within DHCW outlined one key objective, aiming to gather market intelligence that will better inform their approach and “empower GP practices to use ambient scribe tools to drive general practice efficiencies and enhance patient care”.
An innovation partnership supporting the future of general practice sees OX.DH partner with FDB (First Databank) to shape medicines intelligence in primary care. The collaboration brings together Oxford Digital Health’s 100% cloud-native technology and FDB’s new Multilex Cloud capabilities into OX.DH’s clinical system for primary care. As part of accelerating modernisation, the new partnership streamlines medicines data management and prescribing, with the partnership commenting that this is “a major step forward in driving safer, more connected, and more efficient healthcare”.
