Local primary care

Primary care services provide the first point of contact in the healthcare system, acting as the ‘front door’ of the NHS. Primary care includes general practice, community pharmacy, dental, and optometry (eye health) services.

Where something can’t be dealt with yourself, you can drop in to a local pharmacy, doctors’ surgery, dentists or opticians, for convenient healthcare from a number of specially trained and experienced professionals.

This is primary care – and for the first time in a generation, this specialty is changing thanks to our highly-valued people, supported with a new long-term package of funding, new ways of working and improved technology.

Primary care will lead on improving the ‘whole person’ health of a local population, with a greater understanding of mental health, the benefits of social prescribing, personalised care, medicines management and how to age well than ever before.

Totally new types of care for patients will be offered, particularly for complex conditions and things like anxiety and stress, as the NHS moves from treating illness, to identifying and helping people as soon as they notice something isn’t quite right.