Issue - items at meetings - The Annual GP Survey Report

Report of the HOSC ad hoc scrutiny panel (to follow).

9.1       The report of the ad hoc panel on NHS Brighton & Hove’s procurement of a GP-Led Health Centre was introduced by Cllr Trevor Alford, the panel Chairman. Cllr Alford praised NHS Brighton & Hove for the open and transparent way they had worked with the panel on this issue. Another panel member, Cllr Kevin Allen agreed with this, stating that NHS Brighton & Hove had established robust procedures for this procurement and had adhered to these procedures throughout the tender process.

9.2       Cllr Jason Kitcat, who also sat on the panel, agreed that NHS Brighton & Hove had properly followed procurement procedure, but was critical of national policy in this instance, believing that it unfairly discriminated against smaller providers.

9.3       Terry Needle, Director of Quality and Assurance at NHS Brighton & Hove, told members that the GP-Led Health Centre was now operational, although uptake had been quite slow.

9.4       The Chairman asked for a verbal update from NHS Brighton & Hove on the performance of the GP-Led Health Centre for the next committee meeting (September 30 2009). The Chairman also requested that a visit to the facilities be arranged for HOSC members.

9.5       RESOLVED –

(1) That the ad hoc panel report be endorsed and passed on to NHS Brighton & Hove for comment and action and to Full Council for information;

(2) That there should be a verbal update on the GP-Led Health Centre at the next (30.09.09) Committee meeting.

Report of the Director of Strategy and Governance (copy attached).

79.1    Members considered the Annual GP Survey and agreed that the Chairman should write a letter to the Secretary of State for Health detailing the following concerns.

79.2    The committee recognised that the GP survey is concerned with services provided under the GP contract and not with other services which may be based in practice premises, but which are not GP-provided services (for example, community midwifery). However, members thought that this division between GP-provided and GP practice-based services, whilst sensible from the perspective of NHS contract management, was unlikely to be considered so by members of the public, who would prefer the opportunity to comment on all services provided at GP practices via the GP survey.

79.3    The committee agreed that GP practice opening hours were an important issue, but felt that an opportunity had been missed to comment on the opening hours of prescribing pharmacies. Members argued that there was often little point in being able to access a GP in the evening if it was then impossible to get a prescription filled until the next morning. A question asking respondents how important they considered round-the-clock pharmacy services would have allowed the NHS to assess the level of demand.

79.4    Committee members also thought that the survey did not make adequate provision for respondents who are registered with a GP practice which has restricted working hours. It was felt that the survey was worded in such a way that respondents with poor access to a GP might struggle to convey their access problems adequately, and the survey might consequently give a false impression of satisfaction levels.

79.5    RESOLVED – That the Chairman should write a letter to the Secretary of State for Health setting out members’ concerns (as outlined in points 79.2, 79.3 and 79.4 above).