In May 2023, the Government published a delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, which has been framed as a first step to address access challenges ahead of longer-term reforms to better integrate primary care. PAGB has welcomed the primary care recovery plan which has incorporated a number of recommendations from the Blueprint for a Self-Care Strategy, published in October 2021.
Together with eight partner organisations and associations, we developed an implementation plan to support the successful execution of the primary care recovery plan (PCRP). We detail our recommendations on how to implement the self-care commitments that the PCRP outlines, namely:
- Faster navigation, assessment and responses
- Expanding community pharmacy services
- Implementing ‘Modern General Practice Access’, making it easier for patients to contact their GP practice and for practice staff to manage demand
- Communicating with the public
To ensure that all policies taken forward as part of the efforts to implement the PCRP deliver the benefits of self-care, we have called for three essential tests for all policies, considering whether the policies will: reduce demand on the NHS; reduce health inequalities; and empower patients to take ownership of their health for self-treatable conditions.
We hope the delivery of the plan is a constructive next step in creating policies that encourage self-care for self-treatable conditions.
For further information about our recommendations, read our implementation plan.
