By Richard Johnstone | 1 July 2013
Monitor has launched a review of GP services in England in a bid to determine if they are operating in the best interests of patients.
The health sector regulator’s investigation will examine the commissioning and provision of general practice to identify any barriers that prevent patients from receiving the best possible care.
Among the areas that will be explored are patients’ ability to access services, including how easily people can switch GPs, and any evidence that providers face difficulties in setting up practices in new locations. The review also includes a call for evidence to determine if there is a demand for new models of care in local communities, such as better integration between NHS services, and what stops these being implemented.
This comes after the regulator’s Fair playing field review, published in March, found some potential providers of NHS care faced barriers offering their services to patients.
Monitor's examination will not be a formal investigation under its enforcement powers or a review of the quality of individual GP practices in England.
Instead, it is intended to decide whether the 8,100 GP practices operating under NHS contracts work in the best interest of patients, and allow Monitor to better understand this sector, chief executive Dr David Bennett said.
He added that GPs were the first port of call for many patients when they access NHS services, so general practice had a significant impact across the health service.
‘People want a good service from their GPs, they want to be able to see their regular doctor at times that suit them and they want to be able to make informed choices about their health care,’ Bennett said.
‘This call for evidence is an opportunity for Monitor to learn about any barriers preventing general practitioners from delivering what is best for patients.’
It is expected that a report setting out preliminary findings will be published later this year.
