CHN focuses on the need for change and improvement in Primary Care

On 25th May, we were delighted to host a fantastic line up of three dynamic primary care leaders speaking to a full house at accuRx’s new offices.

Claire Fuller, CEO designate of Surrey Heartlands ICS and a GP, who has shared emerging themes ahead of her report being published the next day; Karen Kirkham, Medical Director at Deloitte and a GP in Dorset who shared examples of best practice from across the UK and internationally; and Jo Sauvage, a GP in Islington and Medical Director designate for North Central London ICS, who set out early thoughts as to how ICSs can move forward on primary care/local care.

The subsequent discussion was wide ranging with comments and input from a large number of participants in the audience who set out areas where changes need to be seen to improve care. Specifically, a need for:

• Greater focus on prevention and reducing health inequalities
• A different model for same day/urgent care
• Changes to the ways in which people with long term conditions and more complex needs are looked after, in particular moving to closer integration with other services (community, mental health, more specialist advice, social care, voluntary sector) delivered by multi-disciplinary teams
• Far greater and more rapid adoption of digital technologies  
• Dramatically better data to support improved population health management and a step change in the quality and efficiency of care delivery
• Different career structures and ways of working for staff in primary care (and wider local care)
• Greater opportunities to carry out research in primary/local care 
• Management of care delivery – a greater understanding of demand for care, planning for capacity, improved scheduling, improved utilisation of staff and facilities, greater measurement of activity/quality/costs and improved leadership
• A review of estates – ensuring improved utilisation of estates and improved quality of the estate fabric
• Financial flows to support service changes/improvements

As a number of people in the audience flagged, delivering these changes will require a different organisational model for primary and local care and changes to the current contractual mechanisms.

Many thanks to accuRx for kindly hosting the event.