Do GPs have to pay to send patients to Tessa Jowell?

[alice]

Just wondering if anyone knew. Thanks

[Bic Basher]

No, all of the surgeries in Dulwich, Peckham, Camberwell and Nunhead are part of a foundation where they can send patients to any surgery in South Southwark if they provide a specific service.

This was more obvious during Covid when the GP foundation allowed patients from their surgeries to get Covid jabs at Tessa Jowell or the Lister Health Centre in Peckham.

[alice]

It’s just that today I was offered an appointment in 2 weeks with a nurse but when I said I’d be happy to go to Tessa Jowell I got a same day GP app. 

[Nigello]

Same here - I was told no GP appointments at DMC on the day I rang but was offered a place a few hours later - oddly apologetically - at TJC which I took gladly. I think it’s a good system and shows flexibility on the part of the local NHS bosses. 

[Jenijenjen]

I’ve also been offered (apologetically) short notice appointments at TJ, one with a doctor and twice with a nurse practitioner. I think they’re separate to the GP practice based at TJ, patients wait in a separate area. It seems the service is called the Enhanced Access Service provided by the South Southwark Primary Care Network, which seems to be an umbrella and resource sharing organisation for GP practices in the area. I have  no idea whether GP Practices are charged, it would be interesting to find out, I think it’s more likely to come from a central budget. Anything that reduces the wait for a GP/a nurse appointment is a good thing.

https://www.ihlsouthwark.co.uk/what-we-do/epcs/

 

[Penguin68]

I don't think this can come from a 'central' budget if it is a replacement GP service - GPs are private contractors into the NHS - they buy in services from e.g. doctors, nurses, pharmacists etc. to meet their contractual requirements to treat patients on behalf of the NHS and are payed a capitation fee for their registered patients together with payments for specific services (i.e. childhood vaccinations etc., certain types of testing) as agreed with the NHS. The practices may pool resources in order to smooth out demand curves - or to offer (as they did for some rounds of Covid vaccination) a single service point for a number of GP Practices. The TJ centre also houses outsourced hospital care (i.e. phlebotomy) which is paid for out of Hospital trust budgets - which are direct NHS expenditure.