the patient has left the area. Concern is that there may be a number of patients who do not register with another practice and do not inform either their GP Practice or PCSA when they move or go to live abroad. Both GP Practices and PCSA have an obligation to ensure information held is up to date and accurate. PCSA have a number of routine processes to assist with this. The LCFSU has, for the last three years, undertaken work looking at addresses where the Exeter system shows that there are ten or more residents living at an address. This has been done by sending letters to the households explaining the checking exercise and asking for confirmation of who is currently resident at the address. Any responses are analysed on a spreadsheet to compare the numbers currently resident in the household against the extract from the Exeter system. The LCFSU has identified potential savings from this exercise which could be made if patients were subsequently removed from the GP Practice list. The LCFSU have been advised by the PCSA that the process of removal could take up to six months, to comply with NHS Regulations. There have been some misunderstandings with the communication of the results of these exercises and any consequent processing. Discussions have therefore been held with the PCSA in January and February 2009 in order to introduce a better and more effective way of working. It was agreed that the PCSA would look to undertake the initial work of contacting the households with the LCFSU undertaking visits to non responders. PCSA would then be able to carry out a full analysis of results. This analysis will need to identify if resulting removals would have occurred anyway due to routine business processes and therefore the requirements for the continuation of this audit will need to be regularly reviewed. Avon Primary Care Support Agency (PCSA) and the LCFSU have written this policy jointly. This procedure document outlines the process that will be followed, how, by whom and with what frequency. Page 1 2 Process for audit 1. On a six monthly basis, the PCSA will extract from the Exeter system a list of addresses, where here are ten* or more people registered with a GP Practice. 2. Patients living in residential and nursing homes, university halls of residence and probation hostels, will be deleted from the extract due to their continually
the patient has left the area. Concern is that there may be a number of patients who do not register with another practice and do not inform either their GP Practice or PCSA when they move or go to live abroad. Both GP Practices and PCSA have an obligation to ensure information held is up to date and accurate. PCSA have a number of routine processes to assist with this. The LCFSU has, for the last three years, undertaken work looking at addresses where the Exeter system shows that there are ten or more residents living at an address. This has been done by sending letters to the households explaining the checking exercise and asking for confirmation of who is currently resident at the address. Any responses are analysed on a spreadsheet to compare the numbers currently resident in the household against the extract from the Exeter system. The LCFSU has identified potential savings from this exercise which could be made if patients were subsequently removed from the GP Practice list. The LCFSU have been advised by the PCSA that the process of removal could take up to six months, to comply with NHS Regulations. There have been some misunderstandings with the communication of the results of these exercises and any consequent processing. Discussions have therefore been held with the PCSA in January and February 2009 in order to introduce a better and more effective way of working. It was agreed that the PCSA would look to undertake the initial work of contacting the households with the LCFSU undertaking visits to non responders. PCSA would then be able to carry out a full analysis of results. This analysis will need to identify if resulting removals would have occurred anyway due to routine business processes and therefore the requirements for the continuation of this audit will need to be regularly reviewed. Avon Primary Care Support Agency (PCSA) and the LCFSU have written this policy jointly. This procedure document outlines the process that will be followed, how, by whom and with what frequency. Page 1 2 Process for audit 1. On a six monthly basis, the PCSA will extract from the Exeter system a list of addresses, where here are ten* or more people registered with a GP Practice. 2. Patients living in residential and nursing homes, university halls of residence and probation hostels, will be deleted from the extract due to their continually