(a)

it had been over a year since the last GP contract was handed back and they were now working more proactively with GP practices to address any issues;

(b)

GP practices were starting to form alliances which were mutually beneficial, to share costs and to build resilience.  There were now 22 alliances across the county;

(c)

they applied to become part of a national pilot as a result of these alliances coming together and if successful the additional resources would be used to mature these alliances as well as supporting integrated care across the board;

(d)

good progress had been made with Ocean Practice which had also merged with several other GP practices to form the Mayflower Group.  They had yet to procure a permanent provider and were now pausing and reflecting to see what was required to make the offer more attractive;

(e)

they were nationally required to improve access to GP services and had achieved the nationally required 30 minutes of extra appointment time with the introduction of 45 minute timeslots next year;

(f)

they were looking at opportunities for patients to interact with their practice in a different ways by using systems such as E-consult and Patient On-line but this would be dependent on the systems in place within a practice;

(g)

they were addressing the GP vacancies within Plymouth and with the support from Plymouth City Council launched the GP International Recruitment Scheme.  The scheme has recently been extended to Australia and resulted in receiving 6 expressions of interest.

(h)

the retention of GPs was really important and they were therefore looking at different options such as flexible working, attractive retainer scheme for older Doctors, keeping in contact with Doctors that have left the service for a variety of reasons and making it  easier for them to return to the service;

(i)

clinical teams were dedicated and committed to caring for patients  and in Plymouth every surgery has a CQC rating of good or outstanding.  The GP Performance Advisory Group Committee addresses any efficiency in professional practice and it was reported that there was a low rate of GP suspensions and/or sanctions;

(j)

they were working with partners such as the South West Ambulance Service Trust looking at portfolio careers into general practice which was key to the new model of general practice and how this could be undertaken without impacting on other services;

(k)

there needs to be a single message to signpost people to the right services and to inform the population on when was the right time to visit the emergency department, minor injuries unit or Devon Doctors;

(l)

they were reporting a more positive position than a year ago with exciting initiatives to take forward in the future but there was still more to do.