Their plan is split into three key areas - Increase and Optimise Capacity, Address Variations and Encourage Good Practice and Zero Tolerance of Abuse and Public Communications. Some of the key points from the document include;

• Access to additional funding if Practices increase the number of face to face appointments
• Reducing social distancing to 1m
• Bank Holiday openings
• PCNs to recruit more people through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)
• Pharmacies to see minor illness cases instead of GPs
• Moving to digital telephony systems
• Secondary Care to reduce number of unnecessary work sent to GPs
• Fit Notes/Sicknotes/DVLA and other certifications to be signed off by more professions, not just GPs
• Identify practices who aren’t doing enough face to face patient appointments
• A new Zero Tolerance campaign from NHSE
• Additional funding for security upgrades in Practices

Practices and PCNs are urged to get patients’ input into preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons not to do so.

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INCREASE AND OPTIMISE CAPACITY

This is essentially aimed at ensuring practices are offering more face-to-face consultations - you'll be expected to review levels of face-to-face and remote consultations and improve data reporting quality, a review which should be completed by the end of October.

(No details on how “improving data reporting quality” will be measured).

Includes;

• NHSE and the Dept of Health have asked the RCGP to review the proportion of face-to-face appointments that GPs are carrying out according to clinical need and patient preferences.
• A new QOF improvement module that incentivises triage and appointment types
• NHSE will also work with NIHR to analyse the impact of remote vs face-to-face consultations.

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ADDRESS VARIATIONS AND ENCOURAGE GOOD PRACTICE

This is essentially aimed at providing more face to face consultations - Practices are expected to review their levels of face to face and remote consultations and improve their data reporting quality, a review which they should complete by the end of October.

(No details on how “improving data reporting quality” will be measured).

Includes;

• Reporting on the number of face-to-face appointments delivered
• Incentivising GP appointment & patient feedback ratings
• New Data reporting from NHSE on practice performance
• Identifying the lowest 20% performers in ICS regions

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ZERO TOLERANCE OF ABUSE AND PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS

• NHSE will develop communications tools to help people understand how they can access care in general practice.
• They will set up a £5m fund for security measures and upgrades that will be distributed via NHS regional teams (approx. £750 per practice)
• A Zero Tolerance campaign will be launched – no dates identified.
• Maximum prison sentences for common assault to be doubled to two years if the victim is an NHS worker (not legislation as yet).

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that ‘if there are practices that think they might need, for example, CCTV, panic buttons or other kinds of support, then that is available if that’s what they need.’

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