What does it mean?
Increasing the availability of appointments to patients was a key aim of the 2016 NHS General Practice Forward View.
The report acknowledged this was a point of frustration for patients – both in terms of quantity and timing of appointments – and was in part responsible for a decline in overall patient satisfaction.
The solution was a new model for out of hours care, with new services developed and commissions.
In Durham Dales, this has led to the introduction of two similar but separately commissioned services, both of which we deliver on behalf of our 12 member GP practices.