There’s never been a better time to choose a career in general practice. New career opportunities are emerging in general practice as people come together to work as part of more vibrant, diverse local teams of experts in physiotherapy, pharmacy, nursing, mental health, social prescribing and geriatrics, in a range of settings.
Find out more about studying for a career in general practice by visiting our dedicated website at https://gmprimarycarecareers.org.uk/generalpractice.
NHS Digital figures show 300 more GPs and thousands more other healthcare professionals are choosing employment in primary care than 3 years ago. Funding is now in place to recruit even more healthcare professionals, enabling the formation of more dynamic, responsive, multi-skilled teams, each able to contribute to improved approaches to patient care using their own unique skills and influence.
The NHS Long Term Plan is investing in improving health services like GP practices with a focus on helping everyone to stay well and healthy throughout their lives and where possible, preventing ill health.
Watch the video below to hear about a day in the life of a GP.
Improving access
In 2014, as part of the Healthier Together programme, we said that: “By the end of 2015, everyone living in Greater Manchester who needs medical help will have same- day access to primary care services, supported by diagnostic tests, seven days a week.” We have built on the success of our demonstrators by opening
Setting higher standards
NHS England and the 12 CCGs of Greater Manchester have collaborated to develop nine Greater Manchester Primary Care Medical Standards, which will be implemented by December 2017. These are based on the Bolton Quality Contract, which commenced in April 2015, covering aspects of service delivery such as appointments, prescriptions, vaccinations and mental health care.
The nine Greater Manchester Primary Care Medical Standards are:
- Improving access to general practice
- Improving health outcomes for patients with mental illness
- Improving cancer survival rates and earlier diagnosis
- Ensuring a proactive approach to health improvement and early detection
- Improving the health and wellbeing of carers
- Improving outcomes for people with long-term conditions
- Embedding a culture of medication safety
- Improving outcomes in childhood asthma
- Proactive disease management to improve outcomes
We have worked with GP practice staff to develop best practice guidance for offering improved access; including managing demands for urgent care during practice opening hours and helping patients understand their electronic health record and online health services.
Increased capacity within General Practice
The potential for clinical pharmacists to reduce the burden on GPs and increase capacity within primary care is already being demonstrated. Oldham, Bury and South Manchester CCGs are among pilot sites that will test the role of clinical pharmacists working as part of a general practice team to resolve day-to-day medicine issues and offer patient consultations to optimise the use of medicines. This includes providing extra help for patients to manage long-term conditions, advice for those on multiple medication and better access to health checks.
Overall we plan to do more in Greater Manchester to develop strong links to community pharmacy from general practice and other services and make better use of pharmacists’ skills across care settings.