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Patients most at risk this winter will receive additional GP support to help prevent serious illness and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
The £40 million government-funded programme will help 300,000 vulnerable patients with conditions including heart disease, COPD or frailty access additional support from their GP, tailored to their needs and designed to help them avoid reaching a crisis point and needing to go to hospital. This includes health checks, home assessments and medication reviews.
The £40 million forms part of wider action to prepare the NHS for winter, alongside:
- additional funding for urgent care
- expanded Pharmacy First Services
- the winter vaccination programme, which is giving people vital protection against winter illnesses.
Support NHS through heavier winter months
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper, said: “This practical plan helps GPs and local teams to provide more support for the frailest patients in the community to keep them well through the winter months. That is better for patients and means they are also less likely to need hospital care.
“After such a heavy summer for our NHS as a result of the heat, everyone is working together to prepare for more challenging winter pressures. That includes the rollout of flu vaccinations, investing in extra urgent care capacity and strengthening partnerships with social care.
“With thousands more GPs in post and millions more GP appointments this year, the £40 million programme to support vulnerable patients in the community is part of our plan to help patients, improve primary care and also to support our NHS through the heavier winter months.”
Proactive care from GPs
The ring-fenced funding will enable GP practices to proactively identify and provide additional care for the patients they consider most at risk of becoming seriously unwell this winter. Primary care networks (PCNs) will receive £126 per eligible patient supported.
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, President of the Royal College of GPs, added: “We welcome the focus on prevention and supporting patients at greatest risk of avoidable hospital admission this winter. GPs’ clinical expertise, knowledge of their patients and continuity of care are central to identifying those most in need and providing personalised, co-ordinated support.
“It is important that this initiative recognises differences in patient needs and health inequalities across communities, and gives practices the flexibility to respond effectively.
“Short-term initiatives alone cannot deliver the sustained improvements in care that patients with complex health needs require. We hope the evaluation will inform a longer-term approach to prevention, supported by sustainable investment in general practice.”
