Modality Partnership
The Modality Partnership is a large GP partnership formed in 2009. Such large practices are often described as a "super partnership".[1] In September 2023 Modality Mid Sussex was placed in Special Measures after a report by the CQC. Residents experienced major problems with many trying to contact Modality for months yet not being able to get an appointment. According to the King's Fund in 2016 it was one of England’s largest super-practices.[2] In 2018 it had about 400,000 patients and was thought to be the largest practice in England.
Recognition
The partnership is given a favourable mention in the NHS Five Year Forward View. It already conducts 80% of consultations remotely using phone or Skype.
Sarb Basi, the managing director, said in response to the NHS Five Year Forward View that it would be a “natural, logical progression” to manage capitated budgets for health and social care budgets through an integrated care organisation, building a "coherent strategic partnership" with an acute hospital and working with community health trusts to incorporate nursing and therapy services.[3] This appeared to connect with comments made by Simon Stevens to the House of Commons health select committee in October 2014 that he envisaged in Birmingham two large groupings of GPs - the Vitality Partnership and another which would employ geriatricians.[4]
It is suggested that under Simon Stevens' plan large primary care organisations like Modality could be in a position to challenge the dominance of NHS hospital trusts [5] It has extended the primary care services to include urology, dermatology, rheumatology and x-rays.[6]
David Cameron cited the partnership in May 2015 when he praised Birmingham's transformation of primary care.[7]
It signed an agreement with Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust in November 2017 which was a “commitment to work collaboratively over the next three to five years with a view to forming a much more vertically integrated relationship”.[8]
Nick Harding, one of the co-founders, and chair of Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group was reckoned by the Health Service Journal to be the 47th most influential person in the English NHS in 2015.[9]
Expansion
In April 2017 it took over four more GP practices in Hull, with 48,000 patients, bringing its total list to 150,000.[10] In June 2017 it took on Wokingham Medical Centre, its 27th practice, with 20,000 patients.[11] In September 2017 it took over six GP practices in Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven, bringing its list to more than 200,000 patients.[12] It took over three practices based in Lewisham in July 2018.
The partnership started to offer online consultations using Push Doctor to more than 99,000 patients across six of the Modality practices in September 2018. If this is successful it will be extended to all their 400,000 patients.[13]
It proposes to run the bank and back office services for new primary care networks in England which include its practices, and is already doing so in Walsall.[14]
Performance
It had the largest pay gap between male and female employees (60.7%) of 154 companies based in Birmingham in 2018/19.[15]
In July 2019 it announced it would have to close one of the five GP surgeries it runs in Hull because of staffing difficulties.[16]
After activity surged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in England the group found that its GPs had an average of nearly 50 patient contacts per day - around double what the British Medical Association says is the “safety limit". Average time per consultation had risen from 12 minutes in 2020 to 15 minutes in 2021, with a lot more mental health concerns.[17]
References
- ^ "Innovation in general practice: The Vitality Super-Partnership under the microscope". Nuffield Trust. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "the Modality Partnership in Sandwell and West Birmingham". Kings Fund. 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "Birmingham health leaders back forward view care models". Health Service Journal. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Where do GPs fit into NHS England's plans?". GP. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "The future begins in Stevenstown". Local Government Chronicle. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "the Modality Partnership in Sandwell and West Birmingham". Kings Fund. 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "Cameron praises Birmingham's Vitality Partnership initiative". ITV. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Hospital trust and GPs sign deal in move towards ACS". Health Service Journal. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
- ^ "HSJ100 2015". Health Service Journal. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ "Modality vanguard expands into Hull practices". Healthcare Leader. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- ^ "Exclusive: Leading GP vanguard expands into third region". Health Service Journal. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ "Vanguard GP provider expands into fifth STP patch". Health Service Journal. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "Major GP provider partners with Push Doctor app". Health Service Journal. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Super partnership prepares to lead GP networks nationally". Health Service Journal. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Birmingham City FC named and shamed among worst performing companies for gender pay gap". Birmingham Mail. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Top GP provider to close practice after 'big reduction' in doctors". Health Service Journal. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ "Large-scale GP group says its doctors routinely have 'unsafe' workload". Health Service Journal. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.