£4 million in funding to be ploughed into primary care
More than £4 million in funding is to be ploughed into primary care in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Staffordshire.
The Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin GP Federation together with Shropdoc and GP First, the federation covering Stafford and the surrounding area, has been successful in a £4.2million bid for funds from the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund.
The funds will support a wide range of developments in the region’s primary care workforce and technology - including working towards seven day a week access to GPs, patient accessible apps and Skype consultations.
The money will also be used to work with universities and deaneries to encourage new GPs to come and work in the area as well as enhancing Community Fit, the primary care aspect of FutureFit, to develop the infrastructure and workforce to manage the increase in services being delivered outside hospital.
Ian Winstanley, chief executive of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin GP Federation said the funds would be used for a 12-month project supporting the development of the workforce and technology needed to deliver services needed to meet demand.
He said: “We are very excited that we have been successful in our bid to secure funding from the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund.
“The project will focus on working with our practices to develop seven day a week access and evening opening hours, by linking patients and GP practices more effectively and to test a variety of forward-thinking services to suit modern lifestyles, including greater use of Skype, email and phone consultations for those who would find it easier.
“We will also be working with local universities to support the development of a new and expanded workforce to support our local GP practices as we work with the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to deliver the vision for FutureFit.”
A significant part of the bid will be working with the universities and deaneries of general practice to encourage new GPs to work in the area while developing staff able to support GPs and nurses such as Physician Associates, pharmacists and advanced nurse practitioners.
Partners to the bid include Health Education England, Keele and Wolverhampton Universities, local GP Federations and OOH Providers, working together across a significant mixed urban and rural geographical area.
The Prime Minister’s £50million Challenge Fund was announced in October 2013 to help improve access to general practice and stimulate innovative ways of providing primary care services. The first wave of 20 pilots was announced in April 2014.
Further funding of £100million for 2015/16 was announced the Prime Minister in September 2014 and 156 applications were submitted by the end of January 2015.
