The British Medical Affiliation’s (BMA) GP Committee (GPC) has warned that NHS England might use cloud-based telephony knowledge to efficiency handle GP practices.
GP practices have been required to offer digital telephony knowledge on eight metrics by means of a nationwide knowledge extraction following the modification of the 2024/25 GP contract, to be used by NHSE, built-in care boards (ICBs), and first care networks (PCNs).
Nonetheless, the GPC has raised issues that the information might be used to determine practices who’re underperforming and has suggested practices to not share name quantity knowledge with NHSE, in line with a report in Pulse.
Talking an internet roadshow occasion in July 2024, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of GPC England, mentioned: “This 12 months, they’re going to need to use the metrics, out of your digital telephony to efficiency handle you.
“These eight core metrics will have a look at what time you open and what time you shut.
“For those who’re closing on a conventional half day, otherwise you’re closing for an hour for lunch, all of those stuff you’ll be efficiency managed towards”.
She added: “Don’t declare your compliance that you simply’re completely satisfied to share your knowledge metrics earlier than they [NHSE] make you achieve this.”
In response, a spokesperson for NHS England mentioned: “It’s inaccurate to say NHS England will efficiency handle practices utilizing digital telephony knowledge – entry to digital telephony knowledge is about supporting common apply groups and bettering affected person expertise of contacting their apply.
“The info obtained from digital telephony permits practices to see a single view of all requests, whether or not it’s on-line, telephone or walk-in, to allow them to assess and stream sufferers to probably the most applicable care, akin to an appointment or one other native service.
“This may even allow practices and native, regional and nationwide NHS groups, for the primary time, to get a greater, fuller image of the demand that practices are experiencing, permitting groups to determine methods to raised handle demand and enhance care sooner or later.”
In April 2024, upgraded telephone know-how was rolled out throughout the nation, with the intention of enabling extra sufferers to get by means of to their GP surgical procedure for an appointment.
On the time, the BMA warned that new cloud-based telephony methods are considerably driving up prices for practices.
NHSE confirmed in June 2024 that its £300 million digital pathways framework had been cancelled, following delays attributable to a authorized declare.
The framework was aimed toward driving a speedy transfer to a fashionable common apply mannequin by connecting ICBs with authorized suppliers for digital GP instruments for messaging, consultations and care navigation.
Fashionable common apply is an method set out within the ‘Supply plan for recovering entry to major care‘, revealed in Could 2023, which goals to make use of higher digital telephony, digital on-line contact instruments and improved workflows to enhance affected person entry to GPs.
NHSE introduced funding of £48m for ICBs, to fund capabilities referring to digital pathways and demand and capability instruments for GPs in April 2024 underneath the ‘Digital pathways instruments steerage and subsequent steps for 2024/ 2025‘.
Digital Well being Information approached the BMA for remark however had not obtained a response on the time of publication.