AN AMERICAN health firm responsible for the care of more than 63,000 patients at GP surgeries in Basingstoke has described a BBC investigation into its practices as “deeply disappointing”.

Tonight, BBC Panorama is set to broadcast an undercover investigation into Operose – the UK’s biggest chain of GP practices, which runs three surgeries in Basingstoke.

Read more: Routine appointments suspended at Basingstoke GP surgery as Dr. iQ app launches

The BBC claims that Operose 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”.

Operose, which has almost 600,000 NHS patients, is owned by US healthcare giant Centene Corporation.

A statement from Operose sent to the Gazette 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.”

Panorama reporter Jacqui Wakefield went undercover as a receptionist at one of the company’s 51 London surgeries.

During her time at the practice, she was told by the practice manager that they hire less qualified medical staff called physician associates (PAs) because they were “cheaper” than GPs.

Panorama also gathered evidence that PAs were not being properly supervised at the Operose practice.

PAs told the undercover Panorama reporter that the practice treated them as the equivalent to GPs.

Panorama analysed NHS data for 6,500 practices across England and found:

-For every 2,000 registered patients, there are on average the equivalent of 1.2 full-time GPs

-But at Operose practices the average is half that, with 0.6 full time equivalent GPs

-Operose employs six times as many PAs as the NHS average, according to the NHS data analysed by Panorama

While undercover, Panorama said it was also told about a backlog of important patient referral documents which it says were unread by doctors or pharmacists for months.

A spokesperson for Operose said: “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.”

It pointed out that the CQC (Care Quality Commission) rates 97 per cent of its practices as good or outstanding and added: “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.”

It claims the issues highlighted by the BBC are “not unique to us, but common across primary care in this country”.

The spokesperson added: “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."

The Gazette has previously highlighted concerns locally about Operose, with Labour Councillor Kim Taylor, a county councillor for Basingstoke Central Division, saying that councillors have been inundated with concerns from residents experiencing problems trying to see a GP.

She set up a meeting with Operose after claiming Basingstoke was being “let down” when it comes to GP services in the town.

Read more: Councillor calls for improvements to Basingstoke GP services

Operose runs the Camrose, Gillies and Hackwood (CGH) Partnership, Shakespeare Road Medical Practice, and the Beggarwood Surgery in Basingstoke. 

You can read the full BBC article here. 

 

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