NHS England has announced funding of £48 million for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to support digital pathways, demand, and capacity tools.
The funding is part of the Digital Pathways Framework and aims to connect ICBs with approved suppliers for digital GP tools such as messaging, consultations, and care navigation, in order to achieve a rapid shift towards modern general practice.
Modern general practice, as outlined in the ‘Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care’, focuses on utilizing digital telephony, online contact tools, and improved workflows to enhance patient access to GPs.
The ‘Digital pathways tools guidance and next steps for 2024/2025’ document, published on April 25th, 2024, highlights the expanded scope of capabilities, including care navigation, online consultations, prescription ordering, and more.
Despite a delay in progress due to a legal challenge, ICBs are encouraged to make use of the funding to embrace modern general practice models. The funding is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with reimbursements made upon submission of supplier payment details.
