Primary care
Primary care is healthcare provided in your community by GP's
and/or other health professionals whom you can access directly and
usually self-refer.
It is estimated that 90% of healthcare is provided in
the community by a wide range of professionals such as:
- independent contractors (GP's, pharmacists, optometrists and
dentists)
- nurses
- health visitors
- physiotherapists
- speech and language therapists, and
- dieticians and podiatrists.
These professionals work in partnership with colleagues in
specialist services to provide care both during the day and
out-of-hours, from a range of settings
including people’s homes, local health centres, community clinics
and GP practices.
Improving the quality of care
Improving the quality of care – in terms of safety,
effectiveness and patient experience – is a central motivation for
everyone working in the NHS. This year, we are supporting primary
care services to improve the quality of their care by focussing
on:
