GPs to offer enhanced urgent home visit service, NHS plans suggest

According to a report by Pulse, commissioners are considering a move to allow GPs to carry out more urgent home visits, to help reduce A&E pressures, under new NHS England plans.

The Pulse report informed that NHS England had asked CCGs to work with NHS 111 providers and councils to set up A&E Delivery Boards to consider this model alongside measures such as more GPs in A&E departments.

The boards will be responsible for drawing up measure to avert winter pressures and reduce pressure on A&E services. NHS England has advised the boards to ‘have processes in place to respond to and prioritise requests for urgent home visits, usually through early telephone assessment and a duty doctor rota'.

The guidance said: “Early and effective assessment of frail and vulnerable adults can enable general practice to plan alternatives to hospital admissions or arrange for early specialist hospital review.

“Where specialist assessment is needed, early conveyance ensures that patients attend hospital early enough to avoid a default admission, which is typical where patients arrive after 2pm.”

GPC deputy chair Dr Richard Vautrey said these initiatives are being pushed because of increased demand on the NHS all year round.

He said: “Many CCGs, and PCTs before them, have developed schemes focused on winter pressures. The reality now is that the health and social care system is under severe pressure 12 months of the year, and needs additional support throughout the year.

“It's important that all such schemes are properly resourced and don't just have a narrow focus on A&E activity and hospital admission but also recognise the significant pressure that general practices are under as well.”