BJGP Interviews The British Journal of General Practice

In this episode, we talk to Dr Zoe Anchors, a Research Fellow based at the Centre for Health and Clinical Research at the University of the West of England. 
Title of paper: A qualitative investigation of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in primary care’
Available at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2023.0433
The government has delivered on its commitment of recruiting 26,000 more primary care professionals through the ARRS in order to reduce patient waiting lists, widen the range of healthcare services and meet the needs of local populations. This qualitative analysis supports the positive impact of these additional roles in broadening the healthcare available to patients, and finds similar challenges (i.e., lack of career progression and supervision; lack of understanding of role descriptions and scope creep; problematic roadmaps; and poor integration) to implementation previously identified. However, our data reveals the scheme’s inflexibility and lack of available workforce particularly impacted Primary Care Networks in deprived areas resulting in the potential exacerbation of health inequalities, with the needs of populations not necessarily being met. More flexibility needs to be provided about who and what is funded under the scheme, with particular focus in areas of higher deprivation.

In this episode, we talk to Dr Lucy Potter, a GP and a doctoral research fellow based at the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol.
Title of paper: Improving access to general practice for and with people with severe and multiple disadvantage
Available at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2023.0244
This study builds on previous work showing that continuity of care, being able to develop a trusting relationship and being proactive are of particular importance in providing care to highly people with SMD(3-7). This work describes co-designed strategies including prioritising patients on an inclusion patient list with more flexible access, continuity from a care coordinator and micro-team, and an information sharing tool, in addition to rich contextual information on how to shift ways of working to achieve this. These co-designed strategies are practical examples of proportionate universalism in general practice, where resources are prioritised to those most in need. They could be adapted and piloted in other practices and areas and may also offer promise in improving inclusion of other marginalised groups. Investing in this focused way of working may improve healthcare accessibility, health equity and staff wellbeing.

We are taking a break from the BJGP podcast this week for Easter, but we’ll be back on 9 April 2024. 

In this episode, we talk to Professor Miranda Pallan, a public health doctor who is Professor of Child and Adolescent Public Health at the University of Birmingham.
Title of paper: Supporting healthcare professionals to address child weight with parents: a qualitative study
Available at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2023.0238
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in primary care and community settings are known to experience barriers in discussing child excess weight with parents. We conducted a qualitative study with General Practitioners, Primary Care Nurses and School Nurses to further explore these barriers and identify facilitating factors to inform recommendations for actions to support HCPs in addressing child weight with parents. Structural changes within primary/community care, joined up systems and data sharing across agencies, and development of HCP knowledge and skills through core training and continuing professional development will enable HCPs to discuss child weight and provide advice to parents.

In this episode, we talk to Dr Susan Moschogianis, a Research Associate based at the Health Services Research and Primary Care team at the University of Manchester.
Title of paper: Patient experiences of an online consultation system: qualitative study in primary care post-COVID-19
Available at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2023.0076
Online consultation systems (OCSs) have been rolled out rapidly, but little is known about patients’ experiences using them. We undertook the largest ever reported qualitative study of patient experiences using an OCS. Our findings provide insight into why some patients prefer in-person consultations, and why others prefer to use OCSs. Patients’ experiences of using OCSs can be influenced by how they are designed, how GP practices use them, and characteristics of the patient and request they use them for.

In this episode, we talk to Laiba Hussain, a THIS Institute Research Fellow and PhD Candidate at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford.
Title of paper: Developing user personas to capture intersecting dimensions of disadvantage in marginalised older patients: a qualitative study
Available at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2023.0412
Equity is an important core value in primary care, but meeting the needs of patients who are multiply disadvantaged is increasingly difficult as services become more digitised. User personas (fictional cases based on empirical data which draw together and illustrate the multiple intersecting elements of disadvantage) could help practices better plan for the needs of disadvantaged groups.