The Wessex Primary Care Project

The NHS is faced with a growing demand from an increasing and ageing population, many of whom suffer with multiple morbidities. For many patients, this results in problems with timely access to general practice services, and is creating unprecedented pressures on the general practice workforce.

These problems are exacerbated by a shortfall in GP trainees, difficulty recruiting new partners and salaried doctors, and increasing numbers of GPs either retiring or reducing their hours.  Morale is low and the numbers leaving are not being matched by recruitment.

There is a similar shortage of Practice Nurses, with the majority aged over 45, many of whom work part-time.  A number are retiring early, and, like GPs, new staff are hard to recruit.

It is difficult for this traditional workforce of GP plus Practice Nurse to meet current demands and is unlikely it will meet future demand.

In light of these workforce pressures, Health Education England Wessex (HEEW) and Wessex Clinical Senate jointly commissioned the Wessex Primary Care Project, with project management provided by Wessex Academic Health Science Network (Wessex AHSN).  The aims of the project were to:

• Develop a baseline record of the primary care workforce in Hampshire, Dorset, south Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight, together with an estimate of the current and future demand on that workforce
  
• Provide a forum for communication of the different service models across Wessex
  
• Identify different approaches to managing workload and demand, with evidence of their effectiveness and the technology, training and skills required to deliver each approach.
  
• Influence the future investment and dis-investment of the funding and commissioning organisations.
  

A Project Board was set up to oversee the work, with representation from the sponsoring organisations and Wessex AHSN.  In addition to the key deliverables above, they asked the project to answer the four key questions: