A report said that although new treatment centres were helping to reduce waiting times and improve access for patients, those run by the private sector were much more likely to have an adverse affect on their surrounding National Health Service trusts.
Source: Impact of Treatment Centres on the Local Health Economy in England, British Medical Association (020 7387 4499)
Links: Report | BMA press release
Date: 2005-Dec
A think-tank report said that changes to family doctor services and healthcare commissioning had failed to generate sufficient improvements, and more radical solutions should at least be considered.
Source: Richard Lewis and Jennifer Dixon, The Future of Primary Care: Meeting the challenges of the new NHS market, King s Fund (020 7307 2591)
Links: Report | King's Fund press release
Date: 2005-Nov
An article examined the idea of competition in the primary care market, and its implications for patient care.
Source: Martin Marshall and Tim Wilson, 'Competition in general practice', British Medical Journal, 19 November 2005
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Nov
A report said that small family doctor practices, far from being out-dated anachronisms, had a major role to play in the modern National Health Service.
Source: People Matter: Doctors, patients and the NHS, NHS Alliance (01777 869080) and Small Practices Association
Links: NHS Alliance press release
Date: 2005-Nov
An article discussed the concept of leadership in relation to the government's approach to modernizing the National Health Service in England. Focusing on public health in primary care, it examined developments in the public health workforce, in particular attempts to differentiate between public health specialists and practitioners by different levels of leadership function.
Source: Erica Wirrmann and Cindy Carlson, 'Public health leadership in primary care practice in England: everybody's business?', Critical Public Health, Volume 15 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Nov
The Secretary of State for Health said that proposals made in July 2005 relating to the future of services provided by primary care trusts had been "too prescriptive": district nurses, health visitors, and other staff delivering clinical services would continue to be employed by their PCT unless and until the PCT decided otherwise.
Source: Speech by Patricia Hewitt MP (Secretary of State for Health), 11 November 2005
Links: Text of speech | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Nov
An article examined the evidence on what patients and the general public wanted from primary care services.
Source: Angela Coulter, 'What do patients and the public want from primary care?', British Medical Journal, 19 November 2005
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Nov
The government set out further details of how the National Health Service would deliver a maximum wait for patients of 18 weeks, from referral by a family doctor to the start of treatment, by the end of 2008. For the first time, primary care trusts would be responsible for ensuring that all of the local health providers moved patients as quickly as possible through the different stages towards treatment - under a new 'guaranteed patient pathway'.
Source: Commissioning an 18 Week Patient Pathway: Proposed principles and definitions, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf) | DH press release
Date: 2005-Oct
The Royal College of Nursing sought a judicial review of the government's failure to carry out public consultation on proposals for changing the role of primary care trusts in England. The proposals stated that trusts' role in provision of services would be reduced to a minimum - a policy decided without prior consultation.
Source: Press release 31 October 2005, Royal College of Nursing (020 7409 3333)
Links: RCN press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Oct
The Northern Ireland Executive set out a long-term strategy for primary health and social care in Northern Ireland.
Source: Caring for People Beyond Tomorrow: A strategic framework for the development of primary health and social care for individuals, families and communities in Northern Ireland, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Strategy (pdf) | NIE press release
Date: 2005-Oct
A briefing reported key findings from a study of relationships between doctors and patients in general and family practice medicine. The study examined how patients, all parents with young children, and family doctors defined what personal care meant to them, what importance and value it held, and how this varied by patients health and their family and social circumstances.
Source: Rachel Adam, Parents, Doctors and Personal Care, Research briefing 25, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships/University of Edinburgh (0131 651 1832)
Links: Briefing (pdf)
Date: 2005-Oct
A survey by the healthcare inspectorate found that National Health Service care (excluding hospitals) was improving. Patients gave broadly positive impressions of their experience of primary care services, including care given by doctors and dentists.
Source: Primary Care Trust: Survey of patients 2005, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report (pdf and Excel links) | CHAI press release | DH press release | King's Fund press release | NHS Confederation press release
Date: 2005-Sep
The government announced details of a series of interactive regional and national public engagement events, the results of which would contribute to a future White Paper on improving community health and care services.
Source, Press release 19 August 2005, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: DH press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Aug
The results were published from the first year of the 'quality and outcomes framework' for family doctors in England. On average family doctor practices scored 958.7 points, representing 91.3 per cent of the total 1,050 points available.
Source: National Quality and Outcomes Framework Statistics for England 2004/05, NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (0845 300 6016)
Links: Report (pdf) | BMA press release | NHS Confederation press release | RCGP press release
Date: 2005-Aug
An article looked at the different, and sometimes conflicting, policy drivers for a move towards greater community involvement in primary healthcare.
Source: Barbara Fawcett and Jane South, 'Community involvement and primary care trusts: the case for social entrepreneurship', Critical Public Health, Volume 15 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs expressed concern that the radical upheaval proposed in the system of National Health Service dentistry might have unintended consequences, both for dentists' willingness to provide treatment and for patients' willingness to pay.
Source: Department of Health: Reforming NHS dentistry, Thirtieth Report (Session 2004-05), HC 167, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NHS Confederation press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jul
The government began consultation on proposals to modernize and reform National Health Service dentistry. A new charging system grouped all dental treatment into three bands, designed to make charges fairer and less confusing for patients, and less bureaucratic for dentists to administer. Those with healthy teeth would be advised to attend once every 18 months or 2 years, paying ?15 for a complete package of preventive dental work. The maximum price for a course of NHS dental treatment would be cut by more than half, to ?183.
Source: Consultation on the Draft National Health Service (Dental Charges) Regulation 2006, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Hansard | DH press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jul
A report examined how the development of service commissioning by front-line staff throughout the National Health Service would affect the function and structure of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities. In future both would concentrate on three main areas: promoting health improvement and reducing inequalities; securing safe and high-quality services for their population; and emergency planning.
Source: Commissioning a Patient-led NHS, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (pdf) | NHS Confederation press release | King's Fund press release | RCGP press release | LGA press release
Date: 2005-Jul
A report evaluated the 'Evercare' programme of case management introduced into nine primary care trusts in England. Under the programme, specially trained nurses based in family doctor surgeries closely monitored and managed the care of frail, elderly patients who might otherwise have ended up in hospital. Patients and carers expressed great satisfaction with the programme. Nurses reported that their skills were enhanced and that they were able to improve the care of patients. Family doctors generally thought that the care of patients was improved and their workload lightened.
Source: Assessment of the Evercare Programme in England 2003-2004 - Final Report, UnitedHealth Europe (020 7202 0800)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Appendix (pdf) | UHE press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
An audit report said that the Local Improvement Finance Trust initiative, launched in 2001, was an effective means of improving primary health and social care. (The initiative involves the creation of partnerships which take ownership of the premises they builds or refurbish, and then lease the space to health and social care providers.)
Source: Innovation in the NHS: Local Improvement Finance Trusts, HC 28 (Session 2005-06), National Audit Office (020 7798 7000)
Links: Report (pdf) | NAO press release
Date: 2005-May
A new contractual framework for community pharmacists came into effect on 1 April 2005. It was designed to improve services such as repeat dispensing, and increase accessibility to frontline healthcare services such as blood pressure tests. The government published a ten-year strategy document which outlined the role of pharmacists in improving and promoting better health.
Source: Press release 1 April 2005, Department of Health (020 7210 4850) | Choosing Health Through Pharmacy: A programme for pharmaceutical public health 2005 2015, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: DH press release | Strategy (pdf) | RPSGB press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Apr
A report examined the wide variety of organizational models being developed by primary care trusts to achieve their objectives.
Source: Options in PCT Reconfiguration, NHS Alliance (01777 869080)
Links: NHS Alliance press release
Date: 2005-Apr
A report set out the results of a national survey of primary care trusts experience in developing health equity audits. It included a summary of the topics chosen for audits, how they were selected, and the progress made in completing the health equity audit cycle.
Source: Peter Aspinall and Bobbie Jacobson, Health Equity Audit: A baseline survey of primary care trusts in England, Health Development Agency (020 7430 0850)
Links: Report (pdf) | Annexes (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
Research found a large regional inconsistency in the number of family doctors. Some areas had five times more family doctors per head than others.
Source: Research by GMAP Consulting, reported in The Guardian, 2 February 2005
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2005-Feb
An audit report said that government had made progress towards its target that, by December 2005, each National Health Service patient referred by a family doctor for non-emergency hospital treatment would be offered a choice of four or five healthcare providers: but there remained significant risks for the Department of Health to manage - especially that of securing the engagement of family doctors, which was low - if the target were to be achieved.
Source: Patient Choice at the Point of GP Referral, HC 180 (Session 2004-05), National Audit Office (020 7798 7000)
Links: Report (pdf) | NAO press release | DH press release | BMA press release | NHS Alliance press release | Rethink press release
Date: 2005-Jan
The sixth and final report of a judicial inquiry into the activities of Harold Shipman (a family doctor) concluded that he killed at least 250 patients, and might have begun his murders in 1972, within a year of finishing his medical training.
Source: Shipman Inquiry, Sixth Report: Shipman - The Final Report, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf links) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan
