RCGP to work with Manchester on improving GP services

CREDIT: This story was first seen on Pharma Times

Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and the Royal College of GPs have signed a memorandum of understanding to deliver a new programme designed to improve GP services across the region, Pharma Times reports.

The GP Excellence Programme has earmarked £2m from Greater Manchester’s Transformation Fund to drive progress at practices across area.

As part of the plans, the RCGP will utilise its expertise to identify and share ideas and innovations already working well and to the benefit of patients, which can then be tailored to suit local need.

Both the College and commissioners will also develop peer to peer support, coaching and mentoring schemes that have been established across the country to boost services in Greater Manchester.

“There are so many excellent initiatives already happening in general practice – we want to identify these and find ways to replicate them, where appropriate, elsewhere, as well as trialling other innovative ways of working,” noted Professor Martin Marshall, RCGP vice chair.

“We also want to provide support to any GPs and their teams that are finding it difficult to meet escalating patient demand within the confines of finite resources and workforce.”

In April last year, Greater Manchester became the first city region in the country to take control of its combined health and social care budgets, valued at more than £6 billion, allowing local leaders and NHS clinicians the freedom to plan services based on regional need.

Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership is comprised of the NHS organisations and councils in the city region overseeing the work.