Integrated health? you decide

It will give doctors an easy way of telling the public what their Practice offers and how it operates. And patients will be able to see which GP Practices in their area provide integrated care.

That means real patient choice: choice about the range of treatments available.

The first stage of the scheme will announced at the Foundation’s first national conference today (13^th May 2009).

As well as meeting a number of specific criteria, practices will be expected to aim for defined good practice features within three years of joining the scheme. Continued membership after that time will depend on their being able to demonstrate these features have been achieved.

Among the seven criteria for membership are:

• All partners should be committed to providing holistic personal care that respects the patient’s history, culture, beliefs and choices.
• At least one complementary modality should be available within the practice, provided either by a member of the clinical staff, or by a complementary practitioner.
• The practice provides an integrated approach to healthcare and can show evidence of at least one successful self help or health improvement scheme that has been initiated by the practice itself.

Good practice features will include evidence of seeking patients’ views and showing an appropriate response to them; carrying out audits of care and significant event audits in relation to any complementary therapies provided, and demonstrating at least one example of multi-professional teamwork in integrating conventional and complementary medicine.

Applications for membership will be considered by the Foundation’s GP membership clinical sub-committee, consisting of Foundation Fellows Professor Ruth Chambers, Professor David Peters and Dr Catherine Zollman, with external GP assessor Dr Andrew Sikorski. The sub-committee chairman is Dr Michael Dixon, the Foundation’s Medical Director, who said:

'Real choice isn’t just about which hospital to go to. It’s about what treatment too. That is genuine patient empowerment.

'This is just the first stage. We plan to introduce enhanced silver and gold membership, which go beyond the basic criteria. Later, we will develop a service quality kitemark too.”

More information and details of how GP practices can apply for membership will be available on this website shortly. 

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1.     The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1993. Its principal aim is to make sure that all patients can access good integrated healthcare. That means treating patients as whole human beings – paying attention to body, mind and soul. It may include access to proven complementary therapies, but the Foundation does not suggest that is necessarily the best course of action for all conditions and all patients. More information about the Foundation can be found at www.fih.org.uk

2.     Media enquiries to Pat Goodall, 01246 410707 or pat.goodall@fih.org.uk

3.     All other enquiries to contactus@fih.org.uk or call 020 7024 5755.