NHS Alliance wants GPs to reclaim out-of-hours care
GPs should reclaim commissioning responsibility for out-of-hours care — even if they no longer provide the service — in order to maximise continuity of care to patients, according to NHS Alliance.
The organisation, which represents primary care professionals, also wants
to see the creation of a new community specialist consultant — with
equal status to a hospital consultant — but with broader expertise
to work in the community.
It also recommends in a report, “In
sickness and in health: mending a ‘fragmented’ NHS”, that integrated care organisations
should be established which would bring together specialist consultants,
GPs and other clinicians. They would be developed around new polyclinics
or super surgeries and would ensure that patient care remained focused
on patient need rather than “around buildings or organisational
structures”.
The comments by NHS Alliance are in response to the proposals set out
in the “Health care for London” review being carried out
by health minister Lord Darzi.
Although the NHS Alliance makes
no specific mention of pharmacists in its report, it welcomes the enhanced
role for the profession outlined in the pharmacy White Paper.
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