WITH primary care on the brink of change, a county-wide survey has revealed a majority of patients would be happy to see someone else instead of their GP.
Mounting pressures, lack of funds and increasing workloads has forced a re-think of the way primary care and GP services are provided across the county.
Now in its most recent survey, Healthwatch Oxfordshire, has found that 72 per cent of patients would be happy to see an alternative medical professional other than their GP.
In its Peoples Experiences of Using GP Services in Oxfordshire report, the watchdog also found that 39 per cent of patients had contacted a pharmacist before seeing a GP for medical advice.
Reasons cited for not seeking help from either a nurse practitioner, pharmacist or physiotherapist was because patients needed management of long-term conditions or the inability of a nurse to be able to prescribe medicine.
Director at Healthwatch Eddie Duller said: There is a change of heart from the public in that they recognise that GPs are stretched and under pressure, like most people at work in todays world.
Some are open to new ways of seeing the doctor, or at least getting some form of advice and treatment from practice nurses and the neighbourhood chemist.
The survey, completed by more than 400 patients across 67 practices, showed that a greater proportion waited four weeks for an appointment than in 2014.
Mr Duller added: Thats just as well because medical help closest to home could change out of all recognition in the next five years because of a reorganisation being powered through by the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which pays for GP and related services.
They say the aim is to improve access to the first layer of care, but that doesnt necessarily mean you will see a doctor.
There are plans to increase the skills of nurses and other medical practitioners such as pharmacists and physiotherapists to cut down the doctors workload.
GP practices are being encouraged to work together to serve populations of 30 to 50,000 organised through central hubs in areas roughly similar to town and district council areas.
The report lays out recommendations for the CCG, including promises to ensure that all GP surgeries will offer appointments within a week of a patient asking for one and that every surgery should have an active Patient Participation Group.
Change is afoot in primary care as plans to shake-up services will be revealed after a decision is made on the first phase of Oxfordshires Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) on August 10.
The STP aims to address a growing financial shortfall and the needs of an ageing population.
For Mr Dullers in-depth response and analysis on the future of primary care and GP practices turn to page 12.
A spokesman for the CCG:The Primary Care transformation plan describes the direction of Primary Care over the next 5 years.
"The main needs are to stabilise general practice, remove financial risk upon practices and encourage the work force to remain within Primary Care.
"This needs to be done alongside maintaining the tradition role of Primary Care to act as the main entry point into the health care system and delivering timely access and quality care.
The plans describes a number of measures that are already in place such as recruitment support for GP practices, same day access hubs offering additional appointments in hours and at weekends, piloting pharmacists in practices.
"It also describes short to medium term initiatives that could be implemented such as urgent community visits, commissioning of integrated community nursing teams, social prescribing, development of lifestyle centres, however, all of these ideas would need to be tested with patients and the public in the work that is being undertaken in Phase 2 of the Oxfordshire Transformation Programme.
Each CCG locality has reviewed the framework and both the Primary Care Patient Advisory Group and the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee have reviewed and inputted to earlier drafts.
"The aim, once agreed, is to further develop within localities involving other stakeholders such as Federations and Oxford Health with invitations to social care and Oxford University Hospitals Trust.
"This work will take place between July and September with the purpose of producing locality place based plans for Primary Care which will feed into Phase 2 of the Oxfordshire Transformation Programme.
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