Verbal Update from Tony Hoolaghan (Managing Director – Haringey and Islington CCGs).
Minutes:
The Board received a verbal update on GP Practices in Haringey from Rachel Lissauer, Haringey CCG - Director of Commissioning and Integration. It was highlighted that there were currently many positive work being carried out on primary care in Haringey, and Haringey was the only Borough in Central London that had an outstanding CQC (Care Quality Commission) rating in general practice. There was a lot of investment through primary care networks which had been helpful in providing support for practices to take on additional staff. In addition, Haringey had been successful in securing 5 improvement grants which were for making improvements for GP practices, which had increased capacity and helped access by redeveloping certain rooms in practices. It was noted that another positive development of the formation of primary care networks was having a community forming around GP practices, which provided a supportive environment of sharing and learning good practices.
The Board were provided an update on the Myddleton Road Surgery. The Board were advised that the CCG had discussed plans to merge Myddleton Road Surgery with two other practices, to close the Myddleton Road Surgery site and relocate the practice. As part of that merger process, Myddleton Road Surgery had looked for a clinical partner to ensure services could continue to be delivered until the merger and relocation went ahead. Approval had been given on 20th June by the North London and Primary Care Committee in Common to add a GP and a non-clinical partner to the Myddleton Road Surgery contract. Sadly, the contract holder had passed away before the contract was signed, which resulted in the contract being automatically terminated. The CCG decided not to undertake the full procurement process to issue a new contract as it was concluded that the premises of the GP practice was inadequate and there were many other GP practices close to the Myddleton Road Surgery. The Primary Care Committee in Common approved a temporary care contract for Myddleton Road Surgery to provide primary care until 2nd November and to ensure patients were supported through the process in identifying and registering with a new practice. It was noted that the CCG continued to work to ensure patients were able to register with a new practice and processes were in place to support the practice’s most vulnerable patients to register with a new practice to ensure continuity in care.
The following was noted in discussion of this item:
a. In response to a question around how the primary care networks would help GP practices in the Borough that were in special measures, the Board was provided the example of Hornsey Park Surgery, which had an inadequate rating in June this year. Hornsey Park Surgery was working with West Green Surgery, which had an outstanding rating, to ensure that Hornsey Park Surgery was working safely and improving. The Board was advised that this arrangement was not within the remit of the primary care network, but it was an informal learning support arrangement which had begun to work.
b. The Board were advised that the CCG were keen to ensure the strongest practices were supported to both continue to be strong and to support other practices. The CCG were also keen to ensure that GP practices were teaching good practices. There were many mechanisms used in order to provide support to practices, such as providing funding for a nursing team for GP practices that had difficulty recruiting primary care nurses. It was noted that there was a lot of money coming in through the primary care network route for supporting GP leadership, particularly General Practitioners that could become clinical directors. It was stressed that the focus was to support practices in order to reduce variation between GP practices.
c. The Board commented that the primary care network should be about sharing good practice and peer support. A comment was also made around the need to contextualise the primary care network within other work happening at neighbourhood and Borough levels, and the role of the voluntary sector in supporting prevention around primary care in ensuring people obtained access to a wide range of prevention services.