Developing our primary care strategy

Overview

We are all aware that the demands on our health services are greater than ever and as a result the way in which we deliver services needs to change.

We expect that over time we will deliver more care in community settings and less care in hospitals and we will have a bigger focus on making services joined up, helping people to stay well and making sure that all patients consistently get the highest standards of care.

More and better joined up services need to be provided outside hospitals – in GP surgeries, community services and, where appropriate, in people’s homes. We need to support people sooner, to prevent them becoming physically or mentally ill enough to need specialist hospital care.              

We need to get much better at working with people to help them live healthier lives and avoid becoming ill. Prevention of illness will be a much stronger focus in how we plan future health services. For people with long term illnesses, we need to work with them and their carers to monitor and manage their condition, with the support of doctors, nurses and therapists based in their community. All of us within the NHS need to work much more effectively together and to work with our local councils and, where appropriate, our voluntary sector, in supporting people to keep well, prevent avoidable hospital admissions and support those coming out of hospital in a joined up way.

In the borough of Richmond we are developing our plans for proactive care and prevention; for planned care and for urgent care.  This will support people to start well, live well and age well.

What is primary care?

Primary health care provides the first point of contact for you in the health care system.  In the NHS the main source of primary health care is general practice – your local GP.

NHS Richmond Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Richmond Council are developing a primary care strategy to ensure that primary care is able and supported to provide accessible, pro-active and co-ordinated care close to where you live. The strategy brings together the current primary care services in the borough, the challenges we face and how by working together the CCG and Council propose to meet these challenges and improve services.

The strategy aims to make the changes required to meet the expectations and needs of patients, GPs and staff working within general practice. It also aims to make connections with other areas of primary care e.g. community pharmacy; community health services; social care; dentistry and optometry; other NHS services such as accident & emergency and NHS 111 and our local community and voluntary sector.

Have your say

This is your opportunity to help shape the development of primary care in Richmond. We would particularly like to hear the views of:

• Local people, patients, service users and carers
• Local health and social care providers
• Commissioners of health and social care services

Your feedback on our primary care outline strategy will be used to inform the final strategy which we hope to publish in the autumn of 2016. Have your say and complete the survey below before the closing date of 31 July 2016.

You can also request a paper copy by contacting the CCG on 020 8734 3037 or email ccginvolve@richmond.gov.uk

Please read the outline strategy below before completing the survey.