Patients registered with PML Federation GP practices in Oxfordshire, will now have even better access to a doctor at the weekends and in the evenings. Local commissioners have agreed to continue their support of the Neighbourhood Access Hubs developed by PML in 2015, and to extend their opening hours so that even more patients can benefit.
This is great news for the 300,000+ patients registered with the 36 PML GP Federation practices in the county. Vicky Spurs, Service Development Manager at PML said: “The GP practices that are part of the PML GP Federation work collaboratively to provide services to patients at the evenings and weekends. They are supported by doctors working for PML and clinical staff so that we can provide a broad service across a large area of the county.
“Neighbourhood Access Hubs were initially piloted as part of the Prime Ministers Challenge Fund and they have both been hugely successful. The commitment from the local commissioners to continue funding these projects is great news for patients in the areas covered.”
As part of the new contract arrangements, there will be some changes to the locations and opening times of the Neighbourhood Access Hubs. The aims of the service remain the same; patients needing a pre-bookable or same-day GP appointment at their own practice, may be offered an appointment at a nearby healthcare facility, with a local GP or nurse who has access to their medical records. This provides more appointments for same-day needs while relieving GP practices of the pressure of providing mainly reactive care to minor illnesses.
Participating GP practices are able to put more focus into preventive care, offering longer appointments and proactive treatment for patients with long-term conditions and complex needs.
The Neighbourhood Access Hubs have clinicians on duty, one of whom will always be a GP and each of the Hubs provides an extended hours service (the number of hours will vary according to population and need).
Find out more about the Neighbourhood Access Hubs here: