14:00 – 15:15

Prior to the (COVID-19) pandemic, there were significant challenges with GP sustainability in NHS Forth Valley.  Despite this, GP practices were instrumental from the beginning of the pandemic taking extra work, including shielding and community pandemic pathways. 

GPs had to learn to work differently, with fewer face-to-face consultations while also dealing with staff shortages. The need for additional clinical capacity within primary care was clear and in spite of the complex and ever changing pandemic environment, NHS Forth Valley maintained focus on delivering the new GP contract and building General Practice teams throughout this time.

This has resulted in practices, patients and the wider system now benefitting from the addition of 167 new staff and provision of over 250,000 annual appointments and redirection of more than 350,000 medicines related activities.  

In this session, the Forth Valley Primary Care Improvement Plan leadership team will share the experience of the expanded GP team and will also explore the implementation and outcomes from creating direct access to a range of expert supports in every GP practice.

Delegates will hear more about how the multidisciplinary teams have embedded, strengthened and evolved through the experience of the pandemic, and the incredible success stories that have happened as a result of these improvements.