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Cross-sector report encourages greater use of primary care

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Cross-sector report encourages greater use of primary care

Only around a third of people regard community pharmacies as an integral part of primary care, according to new research from YouGov.

Only 31 per cent and 24 per cent of people, respectively, think that optometrists and community hearing aid services are integral parts of primary care, despite the fact that – together with community pharmacy – they are responsible for more than 40 per cent of the primary care budget. Almost three quarters of people regard GP practices as primary care providers.

The survey forms part of a new cross-sector paper which urges patients and the public to look beyond general practice as the only alternative to hospital care. The paper highlights the political drive to address the extreme demand and fiscal pressure on the NHS by taking care out of hospital and into the community, but argues that this can only be successful if people have a clear understanding that GPs are not always the most appropriate first contact.

The ‘We Are Primary Care’ paper was produced by Pharmacy Voice, working with NHS Alliance, the Optical Confederation and the National Community Hearing Association. Rob Darracott, Pharmacy Voice chief executive, said: “We have to be radical in our thinking and our actions if the NHS is to survive in its current form. Think of us as a gateway to proactive good health while general practice is a gateway to managing ill health.”

Dr Michael Dixon, chairman of NHS Alliance, said: “Primary care isn’t, and shouldn’t be, all about general practice.”

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