The chair of NICE recently spoke about increasing demands on GP time taking their toll on patient care.

Chairing a two day conference on 30th April, Professor David Haslam told delegates that radical new ways of working were needed to enable GPs to remain close to the profession and see patients while taking on commissioning.

He said “we have to find new ways” of dealing with demand and spoke about the use of technology, including increasing patient access to records. He said: ‘We have to think much more around self care… We have to explore much more around the use of modern technology, Skype, apps, etc.

GPs should also actively look for feedback, he said: ‘I think it is vital we listen to our patients… we listen to complaints and concerns and actively look for feedback all the time and not in dribs and drabs.’

He said GPs were ‘central’ to the NHS. ‘Our centrality and decision-making skills mean we are in demand,’ he added. ‘And the more we are in demand, the more work for CCGs and the less we are in practice, which means the continuity breaks down.

The Self Care Forum believes that equipping people with the right skills to look after their own minor ill health could reduce demand on GPs time.  The SCF is providing tools to support health professionals to educate their patients.  The latest aid is our factsheets for the top ten minor ailments seen in the surgery.