Agenda item

NHS Brent’s report sets out the position with GP services in each of the Brent GP clusters (and commissioning consortia) – Willesden, Kingsbury, Wembley, Kilburn and Harness. The report acknowledges that succession planning is an area that the GP clusters have all considered, but one that requires further work. NHS Brent is giving assurance that it is dealing with this issue and that it is aware of and agreed a number of changes to primary care in the next six months – these are detailed in the report.  There are two further potential changes expected, but these are not agreed with contractors and so information on these is not included.

Jo Ohlson (Brent Borough Director, NHS Brent) introduced this report which was in response to members’ request for a report from NHS Brent on GP retirements and ensuring an adequate distribution of GP services across the borough. There were two issues in particular that the committee had concerns over; the first was succession planning and preparing for GP retirements, particularly post 2013 when the NHS Commissioning Board would become responsible for primary care contracting and secondly, updates on developments with the Brent GP commissioning consortia.

The Borough Director informed the Committee that succession planning was an area that all GP clusters had considered, but one that required further work to be carried out.  She assured the Committee that NHS Brent was dealing with this issue and that a number of changes to primary care in the next six months had been agreed as detailed in her report.  She alluded to further potential changes but added that as they had not been agreed with contractors, information on them had not included in her report.  She added that as the National Commissioning Board (NCB) would take over the responsibility for the GP consortia from April 2011, the Primary Care Trust (PCT) would no longer be responsible.

The Borough Director continued that the Health Bill contained detailed proposals regarding the establishment of the NHS Commissioning Board which would become effective in 2013 and until then, PCTs would continue to retain the statutory responsibility for primary care contracting.  As from April 2012 primary care contracts would be managed under a sector team for North West London which would have the responsibility for all primary care (GP, Dental, Pharmacy and Optometric) contracts.  An Outcomes Framework had been produced by NHS London in conjunction with a number of clinical and management stakeholders which was being finalised.  The Outcomes Framework would be used and implemented by the Sector Team and would become a useful framework for each of the GP Commissioners to use in driving up standards of primary care within their consortia.

In the discussions that followed Councillor Beck enquired about consultation processes on the planned changes.  Councillor Hunter noted that each of the 5 localities reported differently without any indication as to their performance.  Councillor Ogunro asked as to whether any steps were being taken to ensure that the distribution of GPs was evenly spread in the Borough.

In responding to the above issues, Jo Ohlson stated that GP practices were expected to provide a full range of services within clusters as the ability to move practices around was somewhat limited.  She added that detailed benchmark data existed with locality profiles already developed which were available on-line and which she could circulate.  She confirmed, in response to Councillor Kabir’s question, that there were no plans to charge for GP services at the point of delivery.

Councillor Hunter also requested an update on Stag Lane, Kingsbury premises.  Jo Ohlson responded that as Kingsbury premises were one of the most challenging issues, NHS Brent and GPs had been working together to explore various options for a new locality health centre in the area.  The preferred option (based on financial and non-financial benefits appraisal) was a single development at Roberts Court, to house three or more practices (including Willow Tree, Fryent Medical Centre and Stag Lane).  The Outline Business Case was being finalised next week with practices within the scope of the development but there remained a significant affordability gap.  The need to identify how this additional cost could be funded within existing budgets still remained.  

Following discussions, the committee agreed to consider a follow up report at their next meeting, which would set out the GP performance against four of the indicators in their outcome standards. The indicators were:

18.       Satisfaction with overall care received at surgery.

19.       Patients changing practice without changing address.

20.       Ability to see a specific GP or Practice Nurse if wanted.

21.      Advanced appointments.  Satisfaction with opening hours.  Ease of getting through on the phone

RESOLVED:

that the update report on Primary Care Services in Brent be noted.