Practice Involvement in the Scheme
The North Wales Academic Clinical Fellows Scheme provides support for general practices in deprived and rural areas to improve patient care.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are a GP interested in being supported by the Scheme, here are some questions and answers:
Can any practice apply for support?
No, practices must:
- Have the majority of their patients in the top 20% of deprivation as measured by the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD), or in ‘sparsely populated rural; areas as defined by the ONS: ‘Rural classification of Welsh Local Authorities (Office for National Statistics, 2011)’
- Have a safe, basic level of organisation as determined by an eligibility questionnaire (see below) and the Scheme Director (SD) on a practice visit.
- Be in the Betsi Cadwalladr University Health Board area – and need to be within reasonable travelling distance of the academic centres to allow the ACFs to commute
What does the Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF) do in the Practice?
The ACF effectively replaces a GP during a normal working day e.g. two surgeries, calls and a fair share of practice administration. The actual workload is agreed between the Practice and the SD before the attachment.
It is important to emphasise that the ACF is supernumerary, so for instance, should not be included in the leave rota, and theoretically could be removed at short notice. i.e. an amount of time over which the Practice appointments diary is made up.
How long is each ACF with an attached practice?
Three days per week for six months.
What are we expected to do with the time?
Practices will work to a Practice Development Plan (PDP) agreed in advance with the Scheme Director (SD), stipulating the improvement activity, the anticipated timescale, the people involved and measurable outcomes. Progress is reviewed at three months and completion. The absolute rule is that the freed up GPs are engaged in development activities not delivery of care.
Will we get any support in producing the PDP?
Yes, long experience with a similar Scheme in South Wales suggests that many practices find this a challenging step and prospective practices will receive support from the SD and the ACF.
What sort of ‘improvement activities’ have practices carried out in the past?
This is a new Scheme, but follow the link to see what practices in the South Wales Academic Clinical Fellows Scheme have achieved.
How do we apply?
Practices initially complete an eligibility questionnaire (see below), if this is acceptable they will be sent a PDP form to complete, and receive a visit from the SD to discuss options for improvement of patient care. Following acceptance of a completed PDP the SD will visit the Practice with the ACF to discuss detail of the attachment and sign the contractual agreement with Bangor University.