Primary care Primary care is usually the first point of contact for people when they need health advice or treatment
It’s the first stop for symptoms that are new or for concerns about physical or mental health. It is provided by GPs and other health care professionals (such as practice nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentists).
Our recent work and content on this topic is listed below.
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Understanding primary care networks
This briefing helps to explain what the implementation of primary care networks (PCNs) will mean for health and care in England, and highlights some of the opportunities and challenges with implementi...
Improving continuity of care in general practice: four lessons from the frontline
How can general practices balance continuity of care with the need to see a GP promptly? Angus Wiltshire explores four early findings from the Increasing Continuity of Care in General Practice program...
We need to be realistic – training new GPs takes time, services are already under immense strain and face rising demand
Health Foundation response to the Conservative party’s pledge to improve primary care access.
GP waiting times: learning from the past
Tim Gardner examines the lessons manifesto authors should learn from past policies.
Evaluating digital first primary care – the challenges ahead
Arne discusses how the increasing use of technology in health care brings new challenges for evaluators.
Could automating tasks liberate general practice?
Dr Matt Willis leads a study exploring the potential for automation in primary care at the University of Oxford. He told us about the seven key areas where using technology could help practices and fr...
Patients finding it harder to access general practice, but those in poorer areas report greater problems
Health Foundation response to British Social Attitudes Survey on emergency care.
A multidisciplinary analytics action learning set to improve GP appointment systems using discrete event simulation
This project will build analytical capacity in discrete event simulation (DES) in the GP setting, involving a case study site in the West Midlands, an applied skills development programme for analysts...
Social inequalities and primary care networks: realising the potential through advancing data and analytics
Better data linkage across primary care and other community-based services has the potential to help reduce socioeconomic inequalities. Data linkage could enrich our understanding of a patient’s socia...
More people report waiting too long for GP appointments
Health Foundation response to NHS England's GP Patient Survey
Primary care networks: lifeboats launched on stormy seas
Primary care networks (PCNs) went live on 1 July 2019. Despite their potential to improve primary care, how they’ll develop, and what changes patients can expect to notice remains unclear. Dr Rebecca ...
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