Earlier this month, Suella Braverman MP convened a meeting with Dr Tom Bertram, Clinical Director of the Sovereign Health Network (SHN), and Amanda Gray, Managing Director. Suella raised constituents’ concerns about the accessibility of GP appointments and was pleased to receive promising updates on Sovereign’s recent progress.
In October 2022, the CQC published their report – which covers all three of Sovereign’s sites: Highlands, Jubilee and Whiteley. The CQC gave Sovereign an overall rating of ‘Requires Improvement’ and a ‘Good’ rating for the ‘Caring’ element. Following the CQC’s report, Suella was eager to learn more about what Sovereign has done to address the findings within the report.
Dr Bertram acknowledged he was disappointed with the CQC’s findings but emphasized that Sovereign is doing everything that can possibly be done to improve their rating. To address the specific issues outlined in the report, Sovereign actioned the following steps:
- Put in place new processes for medicines management and monitoring
- Addressed the small number of patient care issues that were identified as needing action
- Employed two new locum GPs to offer more appointments - a mixture of face-to-face and remote to suit patient needs
- Recruited a new Patient Experience Coordinator to ensure timely responses to patient concerns and to help them ensure a consistently high standard of care for their patients
- Met their cervical screening (smears) target
- Developed more effective ways to access care and support for palliative care patients
- Enhanced the weekly wellbeing drop-in to include a walking group and a clinic with Solent MIND mental health charity advisors
Through the busy winter period for GP surgeries, Sovereign has increased their call handler capacity, allowing them to speak to more patients on the phone each day. In December, Sovereign answered 280 calls per day, representing an increase of 30 per cent from the previous month. Dr Bertram also confirmed that plans to improve the triage system are also underway – furthering Sovereign’s commitment to improving the accessibility of their services.
Despite increasing the number of phone calls per day, Suella’s meeting with Dr Bertram and Amanda Gray highlighted the fact that GP surgeries are under increased pressure this winter. Patients have been asked to be mindful of this.
Sovereign has said to patients, “Please make our website the first place you go for help if you have access to the internet. You will find ways to contact our teams, to ask questions and to get NHS medical advice about your condition. Using the website first helps to keep the telephone lines free for appointment bookings.”
It is important to note that a GP is not always necessary for many ailments. For example, your local pharmacy can help with some minor ailments such as the common cold, upset stomach, or aches and pains. However, if you are getting worse or things change you can visit NHS 111 online, or in an emergency, dial 999. For further advice, the Healthier Together NHS website provides useful information for everyone which can help people find solutions quickly. This can be accessed through the following link: https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk
Suella was grateful for Dr Bertram and Amanda Gray’s time and was pleased Sovereign significantly increased the number of patients they speak to each day. Suella extended her thanks to all the GPs and those working in GP surgeries across Fareham for their tireless work and continued efforts over the busy winter period.
Notes for reader: The Sovereign Health Network is undergoing a name change to ‘Meon Health Practice’ and will formally change their name on Wednesday, 1st February 2023. Quite simply, this is purely a change of name and logo identity.
Commenting, Suella Said:
“It was great to speak with Dr Tom Bertram and Amanda Gray from Sovereign to raise my constituents’ concerns and I was pleased to see that tangible steps have been taken to improve the accessibility of appointments and phone calls.
On top of the work done to address the CQC’s October report, Sovereign has worked hard to improve their call handler capacity and are also undergoing work to enhance the triage system. Thanks to their recent efforts, Sovereign managed to increase the number of calls by 30 per cent from last month – averaging 280 phone calls a day.
I’d like to extend my thanks to all those working tirelessly in our primary care services at this busy time of year. In recent weeks, Sovereign GPs have seen an average of 1300 patients per week. It’s clear that they are working exceptionally hard to help as many patients as possible across Fareham to get the care they need.
This was a very constructive meeting; it’s evident that services are improving, but I acknowledge there is always more that can be done. I will continue to engage with our GPs regularly to ensure that everyone has access to the services they require.
With the increased winter pressures on our GP surgeries, it is important to understand when it’s strictly necessary to see a GP. The NHS ‘Healthier Together’ website has a whole host of useful information that can help you identify where best to seek the advice you need.”
