Date reviewed: 07-Apr-09
'20. If London is to gain the improved services we envisage, then large, high-quality community facilities are needed, providing a much wider range of services than is currently provided by most GP practices. Following the testing of various names for these facilities with Londoners, we are provisionally labelling them polyclinics.
'21. We propose that the polyclinic will be where most routine healthcare needs are met. Londoners will view their local polyclinics as their main stop for health and wellbeing support. GP practices will be based at polyclinics, but the range of services available will far exceed that of most existing GP practices.
'22. In terms of the clinical working groups' recommendations, polyclinics will offer access to antenatal and postnatal care, healthy living information and services, community mental health services, community care, social care and specialist advice all in one place. They will provide the infrastructure (such as diagnostics and consulting rooms for outpatients) to allow a shift of services out of hospital settings. They will be where the majority of urgent care centres will be located. And they will provide the integrated, one-stop-shop care that we want for people with long-term conditions.
'23. The scale of the polyclinics will allow them to improve accessibility by offering extended opening hours across a wide range of services. Scale should also make it more possible to provide the expertise necessary to improve accessbility for some disadvantaged groups, and to implement much more sophisticated telephone booking systems.' (1)
'In several countries, including Australia, France, Germany and Switzerland, many specialists provide services outside hospital. In Germany, polyclinics - under the re-branded name of Medizinische Versorgungszentren (MVZ, medical care centres) - were re-introduced to the health care system in 2004. The renewed interest in polyclinics among policy-makers has been stimulated by their potential to enhance co-ordination of care. A minimum of two physicians from different specialties are required to set up an MVZ. Teams usually include at least one general practitioner but can also involve nurses, pharmacists, psychotherapists or psychiatrists, as well as other health care professionals. Additionally, the MVZs are free to contract with other health-related organisations (for example those providing home-based care).' (2)
Department of Health
Care closer to home case studies. (Includes references to polyclinics and polyclinic-style services in the following studies: ENT (see 'Children's ENT day surgery and joint paediatric audiology clinic, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust and Surrey PCT, which provides a one-stop shop); general surgery (see 'GPsSI-led minor and intermediate surgical procedures, The Probus Surgery, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT' and 'Primary care based endoscopy clinic - Newcastle', both of which provide one-stop shops); gynaecology (see 'Gynaecology service, South Manchester PCT' and 'The Community Gynaecology Service, Newcastle'); and orthopaedics (see 'Orthopaedic Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service, Bolton Primary Care Trust').) (Modified 8 July 2008)
Implementing care closer to home: convenient quality care for patients. (Modified 21 May 2007)
Implementing care closer to home: convenient quality care for patients: part 1: introduction and overview. (26 April 2007)
Care Closer to Home demonstration project. (Dear colleague letter, 29 August 2006)
(The 'Care closer to home' publications refer to the movement of services towards one-stop shop clinics.)
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
How to engage staff in thinking differently around shifting care closer to home. (2007)
| Reports and Consultation Documents |
Under one roof: will polyclinics deliver integrated care? (King's Fund, June 2008)
Primary care federations: putting patients first: a plan for primary care in the 21st century from the Royal College of General Practitioners. (Offers an alternative vision to polyclinics.) (Royal College of General Practitioners, June 2008)
Ideas from Darzi: polyclinics (NHS Confederation, 17 April 2008)
The reconfiguration of hospital services. (King's Fund, 28 November 2007)
The future direction of general practice: a roadmap. (Royal College of General Practitioners, September 2007)
Healthcare for London: a framework for action. (Healthcare for London, 2007)
Making the best use of doctors' skills: a balanced partnership. (Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of General Practitioners, April 2006)
| Press Releases and Coverage |
Press releases:
PM pledges continued investment in NHS (Number 10, 29 June 2009)
Commitment to evaluate polyclinics in London (Healthcare for London, 3 February 2009)
Local hospitals in London to play vital role in future of NHS services (Healthcare for London, 28 November 2008)
Polyclinics and super-surgeries 'likely to undermine trust and cooperation between patients and their GPs' (University of Leicester, 23 September 2008)
Over a million people say no to the government's plans for general practice. (Medical News Today, 12 June 2008)
King's Fund publishes major analysis on polyclinics. (King's Fund, 5 June 2008)
Healthcare for London - Consulting the Capital update. (NHS London, May 2008)
CIVITAS: response to 'Healthcare for London: a framework for action', Professor Sir Ara Darzi. (CIVITAS, 23 July 2007)
King's Fund statement on Professor Sir Ara Darzi's report on the future of London's NHS. (King's Fund, 11 July 2007)
Independent review makes major proposals for reshaping London's healthcare. (Healthcare for London, 9 July 2007)
New wave of community hospitals and services. (Department of Health, 11 April 2007)
RCGP statement on polyclinics. (Royal College of General Practitioners, October 2006)
News coverage:
100 polyclinics to shake-up London. (e-Health Insider, 2 February 2010)
Conservatives urged to step up role of polyclinics and private sector. (Pulse, 29 January 2010)
Budget cuts force NHS to abandon new polyclinic after spending £3m. (Evening Standard, 9 October 2009)
Polyclinic sparks competition for practices' patients (Healthcare Republic, 1 May 2009)
Darzi launches London polyclinics but rules out national rollout (Pulse, 1 May 2009)
London announces first seven polyclinics (Health Service Journal, 29 April 2009)
Tight polyclinic contracts mean struggle for new providers, experts warn (Pulse, 8 April 2009)
GPs' fury over plans for new wave of polyclinics (Pulse, 3 March 2009)
'No evidence' for polyclinic rollout, GP-led research finds (Pulse, 3 March 2009)
Polyclinics not needed (hc2d.co.uk, 2 March 2009)
Small GP practices 'offer same service as polyclinics', study suggests (Daily Telegraph, 1 March 2009)
NHS 'does not need polyclincs' (BBC, 1 March 2009)
New polyclinic takes patients and staff from nearby practices (Pulse, 24 February 2009)
Supermarket 'polyclinic' opens in Manchester (Management in Practice, 24 February 2009)
London will review polyclinics (Health Service Journal, 11 February 2009)
Quarter of polyclinics privately run (Independent, 20 January 2009)
GP super-surgeries not needed in many areas: MPs (Daily Telegraph, 13 January 2009)
BMA head wins polyclinic contract (BBC, 8 January 2009)
UK family doctors soften polyclinic stance (Financial Times, 8 January 2009)
Polyclinics 'may damage GP trust' (BBC, 22 September 2008)
First five polyclinics for London (BBC, 10 September 2008)
Polyclinics 'will contain three nurses to every GP' (Daily Telegraph, 10 September 2008)
Polyclinics, polycautious (Health Service Journal, 23 June 2008)
Q&A: Polyclinics (Guardian, 12 June 2008)
Lib Dem leaders warns against imposition of polyclinics (Guardian, 11 June 2008)
Polyclinics 'may not boost care.' (BBC, 5 June 2008)
New NHS polyclinics will damage patient care, warns thinktank (Guardian, 5 June 2008)
Health managers back polyclinics. (BBC, 16 April 2008)
Hospitals and GP reforms 'flawed'. (BBC, 21 March 2008)
GPs' leader hits out at Soviet style 'polyclinics'. (Observer, 17 February 2008)
Super-surgeries: for and against. (BBC, 16 February 2008)
One-stop clinics 'are the future' (BBC, 16 February 2008)
Polyclinics - the next big thing? (BBC, 4 October 2007)
Darzi's London plan will shift outpatients to polyclinics. (Public Finance, 13 July 2007)
Super-surgery plan to spark review of NHS estates health shake-up property portfolio. (Financial Times, 12 July 2007)
London polyclinics plan sparks fear. (Channel 4 news, 11 July 2007)
Local hospitals face axe in plan to streamline London health services. (Times, 11 July 2007)
Main points: London NHS plan. (Guardian, 11 July 2007)
Care closer to home project (Department of Health)
Healthcare for London
| Articles and Parliamentary Reports |
Parliamentary reports:
Polyclinics. (House of Commons written answer, 24 July 2007)
Prime Minister: engagements. (Including debate, from column 1438 onwards, on the possibility of hospital closures following the publication of 'Healthcare for London: a framework for action'.) (House of Commons Hansard debates, 11 July 2007)
Online articles:
Wallace, Paul et al. Better services and more choice in the NHS. BMJ 2006; 333: 56-57 (8 July 2006)
1. Healthcare for London: a framework for action. (Healthcare for London, 2007)
2. Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services. (Department of Health, 30 January 2006)
