Primary Care: Making Aspirations Reality

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 03 Jul 2008 - 14:00 PDT

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The NHS Alliance warmly welcomes the emphasis on the central role of practice based commissioning (PBC), contained in the new Primary Care Strategy, to be announced today (3rd July 2008).

The guarantee of improved information and management support is a vital component for transforming the aspirations of PBC into reality. The Alliance has fought consistently for this since the beginning of the scheme.

Integrated care organisations, where primary care and specialist clinicians work together, were first proposed by the NHS Alliance almost a year ago. The Alliance is delighted by Government's decision to adopt the idea.

NHS Alliance chairman Dr Michael Dixon said:

"The NHS Alliance wholeheartedly supports the laudable aspirations in the new Primary Care Strategy. We look forward to working closely with the Department of Health and the local NHS across the country to make those aspirations reality for patients and professionals."

Notes

1. The NHS Alliance is a collaboration of clinicians, managers and board members who put patients first. It is the independent body that represents NHS primary care. Values based, it is the only organisation that brings together PCTs with GP practices, clinicians with managers and Board members, and NHS primary care with its patients. The Alliance membership and its hard working national executive is fully multi-professional.

2. Dr Michael Dixon, NHS Alliance chairman, is a member of the Darzi Review's Primary and Community Care Advisory Board.

3. Specialist doctors in primary care was published by the NHS Alliance September 2007. Its proposals for integrated care organisations were further developed in a second paper, Integrated healthcare services - the future of commissioning and provision of out of hospital healthcare in the NHS, published January 2008.

NHS Alliance