Prescription for prevention: rethinking primary care

Panellists:

• Rosie Beacon, Head of Health, Re:State
• Professor Dame Clare Gerada, Co-Chair NHS Assembly
• Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive, Royal College of Nursing

With 90 per cent of daily NHS activity happening in general practice and the community, the health of the primary care model is key to functioning of the entire system.

The demand on primary care is increasing in both volume and complexity, yet despite millions more GP appointments patient satisfaction has plummeted, access is variable, and workforce challenges are set to exacerbate this. lt is clear that bold reform is needed, which recognises that primary care is about more than what goes on in the four walls of a GP practice, and that a more diversified workforce approach is essential.

Re:State’s recent papers, ‘Prescription for Prevention: a new model of primary care’, outlined that a fundamental rethink of the primary care model is needed and suggests how to achieve this.

With a new Government committed to building an NHS fit for the future and the imminent ten-year plan, there’s reason for optimism.

Re:State was delighted to host Professor Dame Clare Gerada, Co-Chair NHS Assembly, Rosie Beacon, Head of Health, Re:State, and Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive, Royal College of Nursing, to engage in a discussion which challenges the status quo and generates imaginative ideas for rethinking primary care.