A BASINGSTOKE councillor who provided BBC researchers with information about a GP provider in Basingstoke for a Panorama investigation said she is “truly shocked” by the findings.

A Panorama investigation into American health firm Operose revealed problems at its surgeries, including that it is letting less qualified staff see patients without adequate supervision, which a senior GP told the BBC is “putting patients at risk by prioritising profit”.

Read more: Basingstoke GP surgery provider "deeply disappointed" by undercover BBC investigation

The company, which is responsible for the care of more than 63,000 patients at GP surgeries in Basingstoke, described the BBC investigation as “deeply disappointing”.

Councillor Kim Taylor, a Labour county councillor for Basingstoke Central Division, said: “I’m not surprised to learn this is a widespread problem in Operose owned practices, but I am truly shocked at the scale of it.”

Cllr Taylor has raised concerns previously about Operose-run surgeries in Basingstoke and set up a meeting with the firm to discuss some of the concerns raised by residents.

Around 50 per cent of patients in Basingstoke are with an Operose-owned surgery.

The company started with one practice in the town in 2020, growing to three – Camrose, Gillies and Hackwood (CGH) Partnership, Shakespeare Road Medical Practice, and Beggarwood Surgery.

Cllr Taylor labelled the increase in Operose-run surgeries as “a hostile takeover strategy” adding: “Much of it happening under cover of the pandemic with little public consultation”.

She believes that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) need to “explain why they keep giving contracts to big multinational organisations”.

Cllr Taylor provided the BBC research team with a briefing on the situation in Basingstoke and the impact it is having on residents, with many experiencing problems with long waits on the phone trying to get through to their surgery and making an appointment.

She said many residents had reported issues with referrals, getting information on test results and problems with prescriptions.

In March this year, Cllr Taylor chaired a meeting with Operose and other local councillors, when the managing director of the company promised an action plan to deal with the issued raised.

She said: “However, there were worrying undertones, including a refusal to consider reinstating the NHS online appointment booking system allowing patients to book appointments with doctors. It felt like patients couldn’t be trusted to decide for themselves when they needed to see a doctor. Any improvement plan seems to centre on the introduction of a new smart phone app.”

Operose has introduced a new app called Dr. iQ this week, which will replace the use of e-consultations.

However, Cllr Taylor is concerned by the poor reviews of the app on Google Play Store, saying: “The Panorama programme must now throw at ease a shadow of doubt that these “home grown” IT systems which are introduced into surgeries after take-over are capable of delivering improvements.”

She added: “This could leave towns like Basingstoke in a desperate situation and the CCG needs to start making innovative plans to secure primary care provision in Basingstoke.”

An Operose Health spokesperson said: "It is deeply disappointing that the BBC decided to deliberately mislead and secretly record our GP practice staff, including junior members of the team, to cover a story they report on almost every day - a national shortage of GPs.

"Like all GP practices around the country, we are facing probably the most challenging period in the NHS’s history. Despite these challenges, we have a strong track record on performance, recruitment and investment in our staff and services. This success is due to our staff, who go above and beyond every day to care for patients

"The CQC currently rates 97 per cent of our practices as Good or Outstanding. We are recruiting a new GP at the rate of one every nine days and are investing over £1m this year in sector-leading GP salaries to help recruit and retain GPs in a very competitive market. We are also an accredited Living Wage Employer.

"The issues the BBC has highlighted are not unique to us, but common across primary care in this country. It's a shame the BBC chose to ignore our record and offers for a full and open briefing, opting for sensationalism instead of a more rounded and topical debate on an issue the public deeply cares about."

Dr Charlotte Hutchings, clinical director for North and Mid Hampshire at the Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight CCG, said: “Staff at all practices are seeing increasing demand and so despite the fantastic efforts of those teams, we know that some patients are not getting the care they would like.

“The focus of the NHS has to be on ensuring patients get the best possible care, and as such we are continually assessing the quality of care received.

"Any feedback from patients and staff, or following inspections by regulators – is always carefully assessed, and if there are any issues or themes of concern, we raise them with providers and challenge them to deliver improvements for their patients.”

 

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