Alex Morton of NHS England full of praise for NCGPA

Last week, we welcomed Alex Morton (Group Director – Primary Care & Community Services, NHS England) to our Head Office as part of her tour of health services in Nottingham.

Alex met with our Chief Officer Jo Dennis and Director Dr Husein Mawji to discuss how NCGPA is helping to develop a more resolute and effective general practice in Nottingham city. We were joined by ICB Medical Director Dr Dave Briggs, who shared his thoughts from a system-wide perspective.

With demand for healthcare increasing and finances struggling to keep up, Alex was keen to hear how NCGPA has been adapting to help general practice survive and thrive in Nottingham. She was also eager to hear our vision for the future of care in the city, and understand the challenges we face day-to-day.

Since NCGPA formed in 2016, we have been on an incredible journey, consistently expanding and adapting our provision to meet the ever-growing and changing demands of our population. From our practice provision, PCN support, and City Wide Service offer, the organisation has never stood still.

Following her visit, Alex was full of praise for our work, saying:

“I was really impressed with the work NCGPA has done over the years. It was good to learn about the great clinical services NCGPA have put in place. They were very impressive and I am sure are a real bonus to the local population.

“It was helpful to understand the enhanced access services provided for the city, and good to hear about some of the different services NCGPA have collectively developed and offer, like the work on Heart Health Crisis, lipids, and practice support.

“I have come across a lot of areas which worked well at scale and on behalf of practices through the Covid pandemic, but I was excited to hear about some of the services NCGPA have developed which haven’t always been replicated in other areas.“

“I particularly liked how their services get the best outcomes for all patients, and directly address the challenges the city faces.”

We would like to thank Alex for taking the time to visit and engage with us. It is encouraging to know our work is being recognised and valued at a national level. We are proud to speak up for general practice and hope these conversations can help shine a brighter light on the incredible work GP practice staff do in Nottingham and beyond.