The Chair to ask Councillor James to provide an update on GP Access.

At the last Health and Wellbeing Board meeting on 24 June 2021 the Board received a report on GP surgeries.  The Board recommended to refer the issue of GP access to the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and a Part II paper on the Mayflower Group to be shared with scrutiny and ward councillors.

The report attached to the agenda today went to the health scrutiny on 28 July 2021.  NHS Devon CCG were in attendance and provided an update and the following areas where raised and discussed by the Committee:

·         Face to face contact and when this would re-commence;

·         The number of patients that fail to get through/make contact with their GP surgery;

·         Support provided to patients on the modern ways to access GP practices;

·         Continuing issues with specific practices within the city;

·         Negative experiences with eConsult and NHS III;

·         Impact on the Emergency Department;

·         Recruitment and retention of GPs in the city.

The Committee noted the report and requested further updates at the next meeting on 22 September.  The Committee had a further meeting with NHS Devon CCG on the Improvement Plan and this meeting was held in Part II.

Committee members and relevant Ward Councillors attended a Part II briefing session with the Mayflower Group which took place on 9 September 2021.  The session was well attended with a good debate with member’s raising issues their residents had faced and put forward suggestions on how to address the issues raised. 

Discussions were taking place for committee members and relevant Ward Councillors to receive regular updates from the Mayflower Group.

Questions from Members related to:

·         When face to face consultations would commence;

·         The survey data and questions around the virtual panel;

·         Continuing issues with eConsult;

·         The overall patient experience and addressing performance of GP surgeries;

·         Whether report produced by Healthwatch highlighted areas where the CCG were not delivering;

·         The closing of the Estover practice.

It was agreed that the improvement plan discussed in Part II at the Health Scrutiny meeting in July to be shared with Health and Wellbeing Board Members.