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Issue number
1 = highest priority
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1
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Source
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NHS England
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Title incl. web link
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Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care: update and actions for 2024/25
NHS England » Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care: update and actions for 2024/25
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Summary
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A two-year plan launched in 2023 aims to recover and enhance access to primary care.
Key actions:
- Empowering patients through expanded use of the NHS App for booking, messaging, and prescriptions.
- Expanding pharmacy services to reduce GP demand.
- Increasing GP training places and reducing administrative burdens.
- Implementing digital triage and telephony systems to streamline appointment booking.
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Source
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National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
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Title incl. web link
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Chapter 5 GP extended hours
NICE Guideline Template
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Summary
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NICE Guideline NG94 explores the impact of extended GP hours (evenings and weekends) on patient outcomes.
Key findings:
- Extended access may improve patient satisfaction and reduce emergency department use.
- Evidence on cost-effectiveness is mixed, and implementation should be tailored to local needs.
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2
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Source
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The Health Foundation
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Title incl. web link
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Briefing: Reducing emergency admissions: unlocking the potential of people to better manage their long term conditions
Reducing-Emergency-Admissions-long-term-conditions-briefing.pdf
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Summary
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Key Findings:
- Emergency admissions in England rose by 42% from 2006/07 to 2017/18.
- Over 60% of emergency admissions involve patients with long-term conditions (e.g., asthma, diabetes, mental illness).
- Patients spend less than 1% of their time with health professionals; most care is self-managed.
- Patient Activation Measure (PAM) scores show wide variation in patients’ ability to manage their health:
- Only 13% feel highly confident.
- 22% feel overwhelmed and least able.
- Patients with high PAM scores had:
- 38% fewer emergency admissions
- 32% fewer A&E visits
- 18% fewer GP appointments
- 49% fewer emergency admissions for those managing both physical and mental health conditions.
Potential Impact:
- Supporting less activated patients could prevent:
- Up to 436,000 emergency admissions
- Up to 690,000 A&E attendances annually
- Even modest improvements could yield significant reductions in NHS demand.
Recommended Interventions:
- Health coaching: Goal-setting and motivational support.
- Online communities: Peer support and shared experiences.
- Apps and digital tools: Self-monitoring and education (e.g., myCOPD, Flo).
- Tailored services: Adjust care based on PAM levels.
Policy Implications:
- NHS should invest in self-management support.
- Expand use of PAM to measure and tailor care.
- Recognise that digital solutions require patient readiness.
- Evaluate interventions rigorously to improve care quality.
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Source
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NICE
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Title incl. web link
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Community pharmacies: promoting health and wellbeing
Overview | Community pharmacies: promoting health and wellbeing | Guidance | NICE
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Summary
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NICE Guideline NG102 outlines how community pharmacies can promote health and wellbeing. Key recommendations include:
- Raising public awareness through consistent messaging and integration into health pathways.
- Using referrals and signposting from other services like GPs and NHS 111.
- Providing advice, education, and behavioural support to encourage uptake.
- Collaborating with local authorities and commissioners to embed pharmacies in public health strategies.
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3
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Source
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NHS England
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Title incl. web link
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Urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26
NHS England » Urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26
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Summary
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Purpose:
To improve urgent and emergency care (UEC) services across England ahead of winter 2025/26, focusing on reducing delays, improving patient outcomes, and increasing system efficiency.
Key Priorities & Targets:
- Ambulance & A&E Performance
- Reduce Category 2 ambulance response times by 14% (from 35 to 30 minutes).
- Meet the 45-minute ambulance handover standard.
- Ensure 78% of A&E patients are admitted, transferred, or discharged within 4 hours.
- Cut 12-hour emergency department waits to under 10% of cases.
- Reduce 24-hour waits for mental health admissions.
- Discharge & Bed Management
- Eliminate delays for 30,000 patients staying 21+ days past discharge-ready date.
- End internal discharge delays over 48 hours.
- Improve discharge flow using Better Care Fund (BCF) plans.
- Community & Primary Care Expansion
- Increase care delivered outside hospitals (e.g., virtual wards, urgent community response).
- Implement neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams (MDTs).
- Expand access to same day emergency care (SDEC) and urgent treatment centres (UTCs).
- Mental Health Crisis Support
- Invest £26M in crisis assessment centres.
- Allocate £75M to eliminate out-of-area mental health placements.
- Reduce re-admissions and long inpatient stays.
- Vaccination & Prevention
- Improve flu and RSV vaccination uptake among staff and vulnerable groups.
- Expand childhood vaccination programmes.
- Launch tools like the “flu walk-in finder” and National Booking Service.
- Digital & Data Improvements
- Invest £20M in Connected Care Records for paramedics.
- Expand NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) to 85% of acute trusts.
- Use real-time data to manage demand and improve flow.
- Leadership & Accountability
- Publish site-level performance data.
- Provide targeted support to struggling systems.
- Train 25,000 NHS staff in operational leadership and improvement.
Expected Impact:
- Faster, safer care for millions of patients.
- Reduced pressure on hospitals and ambulance services.
- Better use of community resources.
- Improved staff morale and system-wide collaboration.
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