UK Primary Healthcare Groups

2011 ◽  
pp. 14-29
Author(s):  
Ray Hackney ◽  
Neil McBride
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Electronic Patient Records ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Administrative Functions ◽  
The Uk

The UK Information Management Strategy (NHS, 1998) for the period to 2005 envisages the implementation of a Nationwide private network which will support clinical and administrative functions throughout the National Health Service (NHS). Using Web-based technologies, a wide variety of applications will enable rapid communication between professionals. Secondary, acute services and primary care services will be linked in a way that has not been previously possible. Communications concerning hospital appointment booking, referrals, discharges from hospitals, radiology results and laboratory test requests will all be mediated by the NHSnet, producing faster, more accurate communication and increased integration of services. Electronic patient records (EPRs) will be transmitted between general practitioners (GPs) and hospitals, prescription requests will be transmitted to pharmacists, even patients will be able to access information concerning conditions and treatment and communicate with health professionals from their homes. In effect we are observing the potential for technology-enabled change as ‘information powers the NHS’ (Nicholls, 1995). The UK information management strategy provides the foundations for radical changes in healthcare philosophy: shifting the focus of activity to primary care, increasing patient responsibility and involvement in the healthcare process and increasing the information available to healthcare professionals and patients. Thus, an agenda for social and cultural change within healthcare delivery is to be driven by the availability of technical infrastructure (Lenaghan, 1998). It would be naive to consider that the availability of the technology will naturally lead to its acceptance as a communication media or to the required organizational and cultural change. The management of a Web-enabled infrastructure and its Web-based information systems is as much about the management of its social construction as its physical construction. Stakeholders within the health service will have individual perceptions and expectations of the technology which through discussion and interaction within groups will determine the social construction placed upon the technology and ultimately the benefits incurred by its use. This social construction will be significantly affected by the context within which the technology is implemented. Contextual issues may include the attitude of stakeholders and stakeholder groups to the technology, economic drivers which influence the availability of the technology, and previous implementations of information and communication technology. If the implementation of a Web-based communication system throughout the UK NHS is to be successful, the needs of stakeholders and the types of application possible should be matched to produce benefits. The management and delivery of benefits requires an understanding of stakeholders’ interests and the implementation of applications appropriate to those interests. This chapter considers the following questions: Who are the stakeholders involved in a Web-based information infrastructure? What applications are possible? How do we match applications to stakeholders to achieve benefits? In each of these areas a research agenda is developed, Firstly we provide and overview of the technology which will enable a new approach to healthcare communications in the UK.

Job Applications

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Watkin ◽  
Andrew Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Employment Law ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Foundation Trusts ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Interview Panel

This chapter deals with the application process. By the end, you should have a thorough understanding of: • The regulations that apply • How to apply • Critical considerations when applying • How to improve your chances of being short-listed • Key pitfalls to avoid All appointments to the role of consultant are governed by specific regulations at both a health service level and an employment law level. All potential employers must adhere to the rules and regulations existing under British law that relate to equality, diversity and discrimination. Additionally, NHS Trusts, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and other healthcare bodies employing clinical staff need to adhere to certain regulations that are healthcare specific, e.g. advertising widely and having a Royal College Representative on the interview panel. However, although many still comply with the spirit of the regulations, Foundation Trusts are not required to follow the same rules and this is increasingly apparent as the number of Trusts holding Foundation status increases. Often, their divergence includes dispensing with the Royal College Representative, atypical patterns of advertising and even not specifying a particular CCT. This is a trend that we believe will only increase as Trusts grapple with workforce redesign as a solution to increasing austerity. As the chapter unfolds, we will endeavour to raise critical considerations that need addressing regardless of whether it is a Foundation or non-Foundation Trust you are applying to. However, regardless of whether a Trust is currently Foundation or non-Foundation, it is likely that all Trusts will become Foundation Trusts over the next few years. Wherever feasible, we will include specific pointers on how to improve your application’s chances of success, i.e. getting you short-listed for the job you really want. . . . When can you apply? . . . It is a legal requirement to be on the GMC Specialist Register before taking up a consultant appointment. However, you are eligible to apply for a consultant post when the interview date is within 6 months of the expected date of your CCT (or recognized equivalent if outside the UK).

scholarly journals Protocol for a non-randomised feasibility study evaluating a codesigned patient safety guide in primary care

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e039752
Author(s):  
Rebecca L Morris ◽  
Kay Gallacher ◽  
Mark Hann ◽  
Carly Rolfe ◽  
Nicola Small ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Patient Empowerment ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Ethical Approval ◽  
General Practices ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionPatients and carers should be active partners in patient safety with healthcare professionals and be empowered to use personalised approaches to identify safety concerns and work together to prevent them. This protocol paper details a study to examine the feasibility of a multicomponent intervention to involve patients and/or carers in patient safety in primary care in the UK.Methods and analysisThis is a two-phase, non-randomised feasibility mixed methods pragmatic study of a patient safety guide for primary care (PSG-PC). 8 general practices will recruit 120 patient and/or carer participants. All patient and/or carer participants will receive the PSG-PC. It will examine the feasibility and acceptability of the PSG-PC in primary care settings in patients aged 18 years or older who attend appointments at general practice with health professionals four or more times per year as either patients or carers. It will identify secondary outcomes for improving patient safety, health status and patient empowerment, and reducing health service utilisation over 6 months between baseline and 6-month follow-ups. The findings will inform whether a main effectiveness trial is feasible and, if so, how it should be designed, and how many patients and practices will be needed. The study will be undertaken between January 2020 and September 2021.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the National Health Service London-West London and Gene Therapy Advisory Committee Research Ethics Committee (reference: 19/LO/1289). Research findings will be disseminated with participating general practices and shared in a range of different ways to engage different audiences, including presenting at international and national conferences, publishing in open-access, peer-reviewed journals and facilitating dissemination workshops within local communities with patients, carers and healthcare professionals.Trial registration numberISRCTN90222092.

scholarly journals Study protocol for the antidepressant advisor (ADeSS): a decision support system for antidepressant treatment for depression in UK primary care: a feasibility study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. e035905
Author(s):  
Phillippa Harrison ◽  
Ewan Carr ◽  
Kimberley Goldsmith ◽  
Allan H Young ◽  
Mark Ashworth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Antidepressant Treatment ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Feasibility Trial ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionThe Antidepressant Advisor Study is a feasibility trial of a computerised decision-support tool which uses an algorithm to provide antidepressant treatment guidance for general practitioners (GPs) in the UK primary care service. The tool is the first in the UK to implement national guidelines on antidepressant treatment guidance into a computerised decision-support tool.Methods and analysisThe study is a parallel group, cluster-randomised controlled feasibility trial where participants are blind to treatment allocation. GPs were assigned to two treatment arms: (1) treatment-as-usual (TAU) and (2) computerised decision-support tool to assist with antidepressant choices. The study will assess recruitment and lost to follow-up rates, GP satisfaction with the tool and impact on health service use. A meaningful long-term roll-out unit cost will be calculated for the tool, and service use data will be collected at baseline and follow-up to inform a full economic evaluation of a future trial.Ethics and disseminationThe study has received National Health Service ethical approval from the London—Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee (ref: 17/LO/2074). The trial was pre-registered in the Clinical Trials.gov registry. The results of the study will be published in a pre-publication archive within 1 year of completion of the last follow-up assessment.Trial registration numberNCT03628027.

scholarly journals Funding for Postbariatric Body-Contouring (Bariplastic) Surgery in England: A Postcode Lottery

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samrat Mukherjee ◽  
Sachin Kamat ◽  
Samuel Adegbola ◽  
Sanjay Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Plastic Surgery ◽  
Body Contouring ◽  
Massive Weight Loss ◽  
Funding Policies ◽  
The Uk

Background. With the increase in bariatric surgery in the UK, there has been a substantial increase in patients undergoing massive weight loss (MWL) seeking postbariatric body-contouring (bariplastic) surgery. However, there is a wide variation of availability on the National Health Service (NHS). Aims. To (1) review the funding policies of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England for bariplastic surgery and (2) analyse the number of procedures funded in two consecutive financial years. Methods. We sent out questionnaires to all PCTs in England regarding their funding policies for bariplastic surgery and requested the number of procedures funded in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Findings. 121/147 (82%) PCTs replied to our questionnaires. 73 (60%) excluded all bariplastic procedures. 106/121 (87.6%) PCTs had referral guidelines for plastic surgery. 46/121 (38%) PCTs provided the total number of funded abdominoplasty-apronectomy (A-A) in the two financial years: total number of A-A applicants rose from 393 to 531, but approval for funding fell from 24.2% to 19.6%. Only 3 (2%) PCTs indicated increase in their future spending on bariplastic procedures in the next 5 years, with 67% planning to decrease or unsure about future funding. Conclusion. There exists a postcode lottery for bariplastic surgery in England and we feel the need for guidelines on provision of bariplastic procedures following MWL.

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