Winter 2024 by

2025-03-13 13:29:11 UTC

Challenging in terms of volume and capacity. Remembering that winter isn't only about exacerbations of respiratory conditions

2025-03-13 13:30:10 UTC

We got at least a bit of money to do with what we wanted.

2025-03-13 13:31:04 UTC

Challenging in respect of both surgery level and managing practices expectations. Difficulties for EMAS have had a significant impact on what we are being expected to manage in general practice or hold in general practice whilst waiting hours for ambulances (including for our HV team).

2025-03-13 13:31:35 UTC

We did ARI appointments in core hours as a hub for the first time. It worked well, was popular with patients and practices, and we would like to be able to do it in future.

2025-03-13 13:31:37 UTC

It would be nice to be equipped with some data to see where we might best use our money.

We talked about winter at ICB boards in August - why were we still seeing no commitment to provision until very very late on?

No real commitment to involving general practice, social care or shop floor community care in deliberations on how best to resource winter.

2025-03-13 13:32:10 UTC

As we have developed a central facility we were able to mobilise quicker in terms of off the shelf plans but we still have a way to go with this

Having EA centrally has given us more flex to support practices that were struggling due to staffing etc

2025-03-13 13:33:20 UTC

Decisions at system level around funding needs to be communicated earlier to allow for appropriate planning and therefore using the resources wisely.

2025-03-13 13:34:17 UTC

Agree with Penny! It clearly needs a whole system plan, including general practice and PCNs.

2025-03-18 13:23:25 UTC

Proper funding to general practice would actually reduce admissions and save money. Last minute tokens do not work. We need a plan and funding envelope now for 2025/6

2025-03-18 13:38:15 UTC

To be honest, pretty much the same as any other time of the year

2025-03-18 13:42:11 UTC

Extra funding is always welcome. We used the funding at practice level as transport is difficult in our area and our patients prefer to be seen in their own surgery if possible

2025-03-18 14:20:44 UTC

Commitment to extra funding at a much earlier stage, to allow proper planning and staffing. Communication - a letter coming out at 3.45pm on a Friday asking us to get the extra appointments up and running by the following Monday (or as soon after as possible) isn't OK in my view. It didn't feel like its purpose was to support practices at all, rather to support other parts of the system. Although the rest of our PCN took the funding, my own practice didn't as we were working at safe levels according to collective action, so it didn't feel right to take the money and see extra patients if we were actually thinking that it wasn't safe to do so. Hence the need for adequate levels and timing of funding to allow proper planning and staffing. It's not all about respiratory work either and I think re-deploying enhanced service appointments to focus on this risks patients with other, equally important, conditions missing out. If winter planning is handled in the same way again this winter, my practice will not take part again.