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NHS ‘heatmap’ will show GP practices on ‘red alert’

1st November 2022 by NASGP

NHS ‘heatmap’ will show GP practices on ‘red alert’

A new ‘heatmap’ of GP pressure has been announced for practices in England, Pulse reports.

The General Practice Alert State (GPas) will operate like the operational pressures escalation levels (Opel) framework, which NHS England uses to report on hospital pressures, next spring.

Pulse reports that practices in Dorset have been in the GPas red zone since May, with practices in Hampshire & the Isle of Wight joining them from July to September.

Devon LMC also makes its GPas scores public and at the time of writing, reported that West Devon practices were also in the red zone in early October.

Helene Clarke, primary care information officer for Wessex LMCs, told members: “The developers of GPas are now rolling out the system nationwide, and they are also working on a national dashboard to show a heat map of the country.”

Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “GPas is another welcome initiative from local medical committees, particularly in that it will be rolled out across the country and be able to give a clear indication when precious workforce resources need to be concentrated.

“Hopefully GPas will also help demonstrate the effectiveness of remote working and flexible locum initiatives, helping GP locums plan when their help will be most needed.”

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