Summary
This is the eighth weekly winter briefing produced by NHS Greater Manchester to update stakeholders on how services are performing and how we work together to manage demand and provide care and support to the public.
Each week, the primary care data is updated along with the statement from Mark Fisher, chief executive of NHS Greater Manchester.
A few sites remain particularly pressured with long waits at local emergency departments.
Ambulance pressures are significant across the patch, attributed to a rise in seasonal illnesses, cold weather and poor road conditions.
Mental health providers continue to experience challenges with bed capacity and high number of no-criteria-to-reside. Calls to NHS 111 remain high.
An investment of approximately £2million has been made into additional primary care services this winter such as expanding the community urgent eye service, urgent dental care, minor ailment schemes at local pharmacies and GP surge hubs to provide more appointments.
This weekly briefing, produced by NHS Greater Manchester, aims to update stakeholders on how services are performing and how we work together to manage demand and provide care and support to the public.
Primary care data
There are approximately 1,800 primary care providers, with a workforce of around 22,000.
We recently launched our blueprint for primary care to improve access to GPs, dentists, optometrists, and pharmacists.
- Dentistry – of 232 practices reporting, 32% of dental practices are feeling a significant or very significant increase in demand, with a further 20% of practices facing extreme demand.
- General practice – of 274 practices reporting, 29% of GP practices are feeling a significant or very significant increase in demand, with a further 2% of practices facing extreme demand.
- Optometry – of 84 practices reporting, 7% of optical sites are feeling a significant or very significant increase in demand, with a further 2% of practices facing extreme demand.
- Pharmacy – of 113 pharmacies reporting, 24% of sites are feeling significantly challenged and 10% are feeling challenged but coping.
Providers across all primary care disciplines are encouraged to submit a weekly sit rep, noting areas of pressure. This is also known as a ‘pulse check’.
Work is underway to encourage more practices to use the pulse check so that support can be provided where appropriate.
Providers can access support by visiting the primary care sitrep support page on the GMPCB website.
On Thursday, 18 January 2024, Mark Fisher, chief executive of NHS Greater Manchester said: “We are now two weeks into January and as expected all our services are extremely busy, with several hospitals and primary care practices being particularly pressured – thanks to the usual illnesses associated with the winter months now being exacerbated by the very cold weather.
“Our highly skilled and committed NHS and social care staff are dealing with peak winter demand, and despite these challenging circumstances, we are continuing to see more people, and maintaining all services.
“We are continuing to emphasise the message for the public and staff to make sure they take extra care to look after themselves at this time of year, and to use NHS 111 and their local pharmacist as their first port of call for non-emergencies.”
