The Sunderland GP Alliance Enhanced Primary Care project forms one of the three Vanguard work streams alongside Community Integrated Teams and Recovery at Home.
EPC aims to develop a range of co-ordinated, integrated, community based services which focuses on the care of patients with long term conditions; seeing that they are managed more proactively and offered better tools for self-care.
We are delighted with the progress of the Enhance Primary Care Project, led by Tracey Teasdale, with both the Insulin Initiation Hub Service and Community Ambulatory ECG Service going live in June 2016. Here is an update on the services below;
Insulin Initiation Hub Service
Following the successful Diabetes Audit and Review the Insulin Initiatives Hub Services where introduced in June 2016. There are now 5 Insulin Initiation Hubs across Sunderland one in each locality. The aim of these hubs is for GP’s in the area to work collectively and collaboratively improve how diabetes services are delivered in Sunderland. The hub service will take on management of insulin starts and initial up-titration for an 8-week period.
The Service will look to achieve a 10% reduction in high costs oral drugs in top quartile of practice, a 10% reduction in admissions related to diabetic complications and improve the % of patients who achieve glycaemic control.
Community Ambulatory ECG Service
We are very pleased to announce the launch of our Ambulatory ECG Service in June 2016. The service operates on a hub and spoke basis, with hub sites across Sunderland now ready to receive referrals. The aim of this project is to enable GPs to request a 24 to 72-hour ECG within the General Practice Community.
This service is currently only available via referral to Community Cardiology at South Tyneside Foundation Trust or City Hospital’s cardiology service. The new service should allow patients to receive quicker appointments, with all test results being accompanied by a cardiologist’s report to the referring GP.
Thank you to all that have been involved in the implementation of these innovative services.