Supporting the NHS

Last month Camilla Cavendish wrote in the FT lamenting the demise of the ‘local hero’ GP who acted as a trusted face for patients and gatekeepers to the NHS.

I was reminded of it last week, hearing a relative bemoaning a rushed appointment.

Older people can suffer from multiple issues; often a mix of mental and physical which can’t be fully explored in an online or short consultation.

For this group, who remember a time when GPs had that precious commodity of time, it’s a real gap.

Sometimes an older person needs reassurance; don’t we all? But reassurance takes time.

This is certainly where my sector, home care, and our amazing professional caregivers can step in to fill the void. Our CAREGivers spend a minimum of one hour with clients so have the benefit of longer visits. They have a role to play as connectors to signpost clients to other health services.

But for this to be a reality, we need to blur the current hard lines that exist between health and social care. There needs to be acceptance that social care has a huge role to play in supporting people in communities and, in doing so, support GPs and the broader healthcare system.

So, if our GPs can no longer play the role of local hero to the elderly, I’m sure a skilled caregiver workforce can.