Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries
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Primary care under strain and struggling with rising demand
Primary care is the bedrock of the NHS and the setting for ninety per cent of all NHS patient contacts but it is under unprecedented strain and struggling to keep pace with relentlessly rising demand, warns the Health Committee in its report.
The Health Committee's report analyses the challenges facing primary care and examines the long-term solutions which can improve access to services and patient care.
Chair's comment:
Introducing the report, Committee Chair Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, said:
"If we are going to provide the best possible care for people living with increasingly complex long term conditions, then primary care has to be able to change. We need to allow for longer appointments and for people to be cared for by a wider range of professionals.
It is also vital that people have access to timely appointments yet that remains a serious issue for many. The priority for the government should be the workforce and to make sure that we train, develop and retain the multidisciplinary teams as well as the facilities and technology they will need to provide the best care for patients."
