‘An encouraging vision but more details needed’, RCGP responds to Government’s plans to roll out Neighbourhood Health Services

Responding to the Government's planned roll-out of Neighbourhood Health Services, shifting more care into the community as part of the 10 Year Health Plan, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:

“The College has been supportive of the government’s aspiration to shift care out of hospitals and into the community. It’s what is best for the NHS and, most importantly, it’s what is best for patients who want accessible care close to home without long waits for appointments either with their GP or at hospital – but we’ve always been clear that sufficient resources and numbers of GPs will need to follow to make this a reality.

“Today’s announcement outlines an encouraging vision for the healthcare system the Government intends to deliver over the next decade. Neighbourhood health centres, if implemented well, have the potential to deliver a wider variety of care and services in the community, and the focus on public health and prevention is positive. Many GP practices across the country will already be working in ways similar to what is being described alongside local community services. What will be key is that GPs are involved in decisions about the delivery of these plans.

“It’s good to see that the Government has ambitious plans for the NHS, but we need more detail on how what is being proposed will actually be delivered for patients, and how it will be funded. For example, commitments to bring more care under one roof will require enough available space, in the context that many GP practices are in dire need of renovation and unable to meet the current needs of patients.

“As well as the focus on neighbourhood health centres, today’s announcement also describes much greater reliance on technology and AI. With so much GP-time taken up with bureaucracy, using technology to ease this burden is certainly something to explore – and something some GPs will already be doing – to allow them to spend more time with patients. What’s important is that initiatives are piloted in the first instance and carefully evaluated to ensure that there are no adverse effects on patient safety or their data privacy. It also has to be said that whilst the potential for greater and better use of technology is immense, major developments feel a long way off when many GPs are reporting that their basic IT systems are slow, inefficient and can’t communicate with one another effectively.

“While it’s good to see the Government reiterate its commitment to train more GPs, we remain concerned that many of those who have already, or are shortly due to qualify, are reporting that they are struggling to appropriate jobs. Thousands more GPs will be necessary to realise what is being proposed and respond to escalating patient need for GP services. We now look ahead to the revised NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, due for publication later this year, as to how the NHS plans to recruit and retain the GPs we need.

“Ultimately, the 10 Year Health Plan will be judged not on the vision in this document, but on the changes and improvements it delivers for patients. Resolving the problems currently facing the NHS – as diagnosed in the Darzi Review – will be no easy feat. This will not be an overnight fix - it will take time for patients to see the results, and the College looks forward to working with the Government to make these plans a reality.”

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.