Dozen areas adopt GP dashboard

Twelve more sites across England are to start using the GP urgent care dashboard, following the success of a pilot in Bolton.

The dashboard was designed by Bolton clinicians to provide information for GPs on patients receiving urgent care.

It was linked to a 3.14% reduction in A&E attendances and a 4.19% reduction in urgent hospital admissions in Bolton in 2009-10, according to the Department of Health.

The DH said 12 more sites are now hoping to use the dashboard, which enables GPs to get real-time data on the care their patients are receiving in A&E, walk-in centres and other urgent care settings, and to find out about emergency admissions.

The Bolton project has reported that the reductions in A&E attendances and hospital admissions across the PCT saved just under £600,000 in 2009-10. 

This figure includes savings from one Bolton practice that reduced its urgent hospital admissions by 20% and another practice that had seen 57 fewer A&E attendances per month, saving £5,250 each month.

Health minister Lord Howe said the GP urgent care dashboard meant practices could be more proactive in managing and predicting the healthcare needs of patients, especially for the most vulnerable and those with long-term conditions.

He added: “This is a great example of what we want to see more of- GPs working with hospitals to provide the care their patients need. We want to see more innovations led by clinicians that will lead to more efficient and personalised care in a modern NHS.”

The 12 sites planning to implement the urgent care dashboard are: NHS Brighton and Hove, NHS Devon, NHS Cambridgeshire, NHS Central Lancashire, Newham Health Partnership / Newham Commissioning Group, NHS Northamptonshire, NE Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus / NHS North Lincolnshire / North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Central London Healthcare Pathfinder GP Consortium, NHS Oxfordshire, South Cheshire and Vale Royal GP Commissioning Consortiums, NHS Stoke on Trent and NHS North Staffordshire and NHS Tees.