Extended Access Programme

We sit down with Aaron Hamilton, Head of Operations from One Health Lewisham, a GP Federation that brings together all 38 GP surgeries within Lewisham. He shares how an extended access scheme means that for any patient registered with a Lewisham GP, additional, bookable appointments can be provided for individuals needing to be seen either on the same day or the next day. This is helping to cope with the huge demand for primary care. Due to the at scale nature of the One Health Lewisham Federation, they are able to offer an equitable service to a much larger population. Patient satisfaction is proving to be very high and this system is evidence of the effectiveness of GP surgeries working together to manage clinical demand and workflow.