The case studies here demonstrate some positive examples of the NHS delivering improved high quality care in a number of different settings across the country.

They provide some context and background to the challenges being faced by the NHS and the solutions developed to ensure better, cost effective outcomes for patients and the public.

• A more flexible approach to managing patient demand and future peaks in pressure – The Orchard Practice, South East
• Simple changes maximise use of appointments and increase efficiency – Dunstan Village Group Practice, North West
• Online appointments increase by 100%: Hazeldene Medical Centre, London
• Primary Care Network: Bootle PCN partners ‘buddy up’ to support patient safety
• Implementing weekly ‘care rounds’ in care homes – Barrow and Millom Primary Care Network, North West
• Primary care networks: Supporting the homeless population to access primary care in Berkshire
• Using quality improvement in a Primary Care Network – Newham Central 1
• Less stress and a smoother patient consultation – Churchill Medical Centre, London
• From small to large scale change across Doncaster – Primary Care Doncaster, North East and Yorkshire
• Redesigning primary care at scale across Hereford – Taurus Healthcare, Midlands
• “We’ve achieved efficiencies far more effectively working as a cluster than we would have as individual practice teams” – Chester East, North West
• 78% reduction in correspondence going to GPs – Northgate Medical Centre, North West
• Delivering partnership working in West Cheshire – The Rural Alliance, North West
• South Coast Medical Group Primary Care Network: Supporting the demand on primary care
• Wokingham Primary Care Networks: The 5 I’s
• Suffolk Coast and Country Primary Care Collaboration
• Routine GP appointment waiting times reduced by 47% – Pickering Medical Practice, North
• 600 GP hours released a year after reducing inappropriate appointments – Chiswick Health Practice, London
• Working collaboratively to develop more efficient processes – Newham CCG, London
• Releasing two GP sessions a week for more appropriate appointments – Seven Dials Medical Practice, South East
• Redesigning the annual patient review process across two practices – Robin Lane Medical Centre and Manor Park Surgery, Yorkshire and Humber
• Improving access to General Practice: Transforming access to general practice across Manchester
• Improving access to General Practice: Improving access to general practice through innovative working, Birmingham
• Improving access to General Practice: Integrating services to improve access to general practice, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
• Improving access to General Practice: Integrating general practice services to improve outcomes for patients, Sheffield
• Improving nursing care and reducing variation across 11 practices – Leeds CCG, Yorkshire and Humber
• Better team planning reduces pressures on practice staff – York House Medical Practice, West Midlands
• Improving access to General Practice: Demonstrating the power of community engagement in transforming general practice, Fleetwood
• Improving access to General Practice: Enhanced GP Access and Systems Transformation, Richmond
• Improving access to General Practice: Integrating general practice to improve outcomes for patients, Gateshead
• Musculoskeletal (MSK) First Contact Practitioners Case Study: The Deepings Practice, Lincolnshire
• “Had we not made the changes we did the practice would have struggled to survive in the long-term” – Bottreaux Surgery, South West
• Changes in admin team processes help reduce GP pressures – West4GPs, London
• Making the best use of a practice’s services – Measham Medical Unit, North Midlands
• Primary Care Network: Cumbria CCG Quality Improvement Scheme
• Humberside Primary/Secondary Care Interface Agreement
• Clinical Interface Committees (CICs) at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
• GP Consultant Liaison – Southampton 2017 Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group
• Junior doctor vlogs
• Wokingham paramedic home visiting model
• Restructuring appointment system releases three days of nurse time a week – Barlow Medical Centre, North
• Tackling a backlog of admin tasks – North Brink Practice, Midlands and East
• A better way to manage repeat prescriptions – Trent Vale Medical Practice, North Midlands
• Less pressure, more time for care – Brighton and Hove CCG, South East
• Primary Care Networks: The building blocks of an Integrated Care System – Dorset, South West
• Making quality improvement a way of working in general practice – Gloucestershire CCG, South West
• Reducing GP pressure with less incoming correspondence – Thornbury Road Centre, London
• A better way to manage correspondence – Brant Road and Springcliffe Surgeries, Midlands and East
• Navigating care at scale releases 37 GP hours a week – Ipswich, East
• GPs see 83 per cent reduction in dealing with incoming paperwork – Bridge House Medical Centre, Midlands and West
• Practice releases 700 inappropriate appointments a year – Aylsham and Reepham Surgeries, East
• Reorganised working environment releases over 40 hours a week of practice team’s time – Trafford Health Centre, North
• Active signposting frees up 80 inappropriate GP appointments a week – Waterside Medical Centre, Midlands and West
• A more sustainable general practice for the future – South Warwickshire GP, Midlands and West 
• 26 days of practice nursing time released a year – Tinkers Lane Surgery, South West
• Releasing time for more effective consultations
• GP’s admin workload significantly reduced
• Practice saves one day a week of GP time through better management of patient correspondence
• Developing a practice reception team
• Building capability for quality improvement across a GP federation
• One career, endless opportunities – what it means to be a GP today
• As general practice evolves, clinical pharmacy expands
• GP is at the cusp of significant developments – and nurses should be part of that
• Being a GP and trying to solve patients’ problems is a privilege
• The physician associate will see you now – new role to assist patients in primary care
• GPs moving to England from overseas: revamped scheme eases transition
• My career in general practice opened up a world of possibilities
• There’s never been a better time for GPs to return to the NHS
• The evolution of general practice: broader networks, multi-disciplinary teams
• General Practice Development Programme – Productive General Practice Quick Start – Releasing time in general practice – Bury CCG, North
• General Practice Resilience Programme – Friends Road Medical Practice, London
• General Practice Improvement Leader Programme – a participants experience
• Quality Improvement Facilitation Programme – participants compilation
• Improving Access with My Healthcare, Midlands and East
• Improving Access with physiotherapy
• General Practice Improvement Leader’s Programme
• Using improvement tools learned on the General Practice Improvement Leaders’ programme
• General Practice Resilience Programme – Practice A, Midlands and East
• General Practice Resilience Programme – Practice B, Midlands and East
• General Practice Resilience Programme – Gainsborough, Midlands and East
• General Practice Resilience Programme – St Peters’ Medical Centre, South
• Vulnerable Practices Programme – St Lukes Primary Care Centre, Midlands and East
• Promoting Self Care at The Symphony Programme, South
• New Models of Care – The Symphony Programme, South
• New Models of Care – Livewell South West, South
• New Models of Care – The Blackdown Support Group, South
• New Models of Care – Ryalls Park Medical Centre, South
• Vulnerable Practices Programme – Pioneer Medical Group, South
• Promoting Self Care at Claremont Medical Practice, South
• 10 High Impact Actions making a difference at – Beacon Medical Group, South
• Improving access: Urgent care triage team in Plymouth
• Building resilience in General Practice – St Austell Healthcare, South
• New Models of Care – The Symphony Programme, South
• Clinical Pharmacists in Wallingbrook Health Group, Devon, South
• Clinical Pharmacists in Norwich, Midlands and East
• Improving access: Group consultations in Slough
• Improving access: Physio First in West Wakefield
• Improving access: Paramedic practitioner service in the South Kent Coast
• Improving access: Dementia care navigators in Gateshead
• Improving access: Working with the voluntary sector and local charities in Cornwall
• Improving access: Working with patient volunteers in Gateshead
• Over 19 GP hours released a week – Forum Family Practice, Cramlington, Northumberland, North East and Yorkshire
• Supporting practices across an STP footprint to strengthen active signposting – East Leicestershire and Rutland CCG, Leicester City CCG and West Leicestershire CCG, Midlands
• Dispensary and admin/reception teams work together to release 55 hours per week – The Leith Hill Practice, Surrey – South East
• Increasing referrals to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme – The Scott Practice, North East and Yorkshire
• Social prescribing: reducing non-medical GP appointments and delivering a better service for patients – Brownlow Health @ Princes Park Health Centre, North West
• 168 GP appointments released a month after redesigning repeat prescription and medication review processes – Trent Meadows Medical Practice – Midlands
• Managing high demands for GP appointments – Walnut Tree Health Centre, East of England
• A step closer towards improving local services – Warrington CCG, North West

Lessons learnt from Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund – wave one pilots

In October 2013, the Prime Minister announced a £50 million Challenge Fund to help improve access to general practice. The Challenge Fund is designed to test innovative ways of providing primary care services. Of the 254 expressions of interest received for the Challenge Fund, 20 pilot sites were selected across the country; covering 1,100 general practices and 7.5 million patients.

The papers below are series of ‘innovation showcases’ designed to highlight the successes of the 20 pilots.

Innovation showcase series

Pace of implementation (showcase one, February 2015) – This paper focuses on pilots which have been effective in implementing extended hours at pace.

Successful patient engagement (showcase three, March 2015) – This paper focuses on pilots which have been effective in engaging their patient population.

Successful practice engagement (showcase four, March 2015) – This paper focuses on pilots who have been effective in engaging practices and their staff.

Very large scale pilots (showcase six, June 2015) – This paper focuses on pilots who are delivering at very large scale, across diverse geographies with multiple CCGs, many practices and with a large patient population.

Effective leadership (showcase seven, July 2015) – This paper focuses on pilots which have demonstrated effective leadership.

Enhanced use of specialist nursing staff to reduce pressure on GPs (showcase eight, December 2015) – This paper focuses on pilots which are making enhanced use of specialist nursing staff.