Successful improvement programme for GP practices to continue across England

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has secured a three-year contract from NHS England to continue delivering Practice Level Support (PLS) to general practices across the North West, South West and Midlands regions of England.  

Through practical operational improvement the programme aims to support practices to improve care navigation, workflow efficiency, demand and capacity management, and patient access, contributing to the wider ambitions of the Modern General Practice (MGP) model. 

The College has successfully delivered this programme since 2024, providing 255 practices with hands-on support through weekly on-site visits to help them adopt the MGP approach.  

MGP has been developed and refined over several years based on learning from practices that have adopted innovative ways of working. It focuses on organising operational processes to help practices manage demand more effectively, make the best use of available capacity, and support a culture of continuous improvement.   

Delivered over four to six months, the hands-on improvement package includes weekly on-site visits from a dedicated adviser, who provides facilitation expertise and tailored analysis of practice demand and capacity. Practices also take part in remote group-based learning sessions, creating opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and the sharing of experiences across practices.  

Feedback from those who completed RCGP’s feedback survey showed: 

• 89% felt better equipped to deal with challenges in the areas worked on with an RCGP facilitator 
• 99% felt the sessions they participated in went ‘Well’ or ‘Very Well’  
• 97% rated the impact of PLS as ‘Very positive’ or ‘positive’ on their practice 
• 97% would recommend this programme to other practices 

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, President of the Royal College of GPs, said: “General practice teams are working under significant pressure, so we are delighted that this programme, which has already helped many practices, will continue for a further three years. Practice Level Support has delivered hands-on support and feedback shows that this has helped practices manage demand, improve operational processes, and strengthen patient access.  

“As we shift towards more care being delivered in the community, and we begin to understand more about working within ‘neighbourhoods’, easy access to this kind of practical support will be key to helping general practice teams continue to provide safe, timely and high-quality care for patients.” 

Find out more about Practice Level Support.

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659

press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.