The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Professional interpreters are considered to be the gold standard when meeting the needs of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) in primary care. The models by which CCGs supply interpreting services (IS) vary. Many CCGs use external commercial IS, while other CCGs commission 'not for profit' services such as the Advocacy and Interpreting Service in Tower Hamlets, the Sussex Interpreting Service, and the decommissioned Sheffield Community Access and Interpreting Service. Research on comparative costs and needs of the LEP population is lacking. ⋯ Inter CCG variation in correlations between demographic variables and expenditure suggests further research is needed to determine how to optimise and resource safe and equitable IS across the UK population.
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A shortage of organ donors exists in the UK and targeting family consent is key for increasing donation consent rates. Registration on the NHS Organ Donor Register (NHS ODR) facilitates this, as it guides families on their loved ones donation preference. In general practice, an opportunity to register is provided, however only to new patients. To improve access to registration opportunities, an intervention was designed where general practice staff asked their patients if they wished to register as an organ donor. ⋯ This study demonstrates that general practice could be a feasible location in which an intervention designed to increase NHS ODR registration could be conducted.
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Laboratory testing is an integral diagnostic tool, contributing to 70% of diagnoses in the NHS today. Its use has been steadily increasing despite estimates that ≤40% of blood tests ordered are unnecessary. Understanding blood-testing patterns is a fundamental step to tackling overuse. ⋯ Routine general practice data revealed important trends in blood testing. Trends uncovered can inform innovative and targeted solutions to reduce unnecessary blood testing.
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Primary care records have traditionally served the needs and demands of clinicians rather than those of the patient. GP contracts in England state practices must promote and offer registered patients online access to their primary care record and research has shown benefits to both patients and clinicians of doing so. Despite this, we know little about patients' needs and expectations regarding online access. ⋯ Consultation with patients and carers about their experiences of accessing online records; support needs and preferred functions can provide useful insights to inform the future design of online record services.
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In many areas, new regional community-based services have been established to provide holistic care to patients with high physical, mental and social needs. Older people represent a group with multimorbidity and high healthcare needs that may benefit from holistic care, although uncertainty remains whether such an approach is effective. ⋯ Community-based holistic interventions for people with multimorbidity tended to focus on disease management or medication modification, and resulted in few significant benefits, almost entirely in self-rated health measures. Research into interventions focused on those with the highest needs, for example, multimorbidity with frailty; high number of comorbidities may be more likely to demonstrate meaningful benefits.