Can the 'front door' of the NHS be fixed....?
We were thrilled to read Health Secretary, Wes Streeting’s announcement of the ‘Neighbourhood Health Service’, a transformative initiative that aims to improve GP services and community health. This aligns perfectly with our mission within Community Health, to better understand and develop solutions to reduce health inequalities and to focus on preventative measures at a local level.
Labour’s shift of focus from hospital to primary care is a promising start, however, sufficient resources and funding needs to also be available within community health to help prevent some people needing to get to the ‘front door’ to see their GP. The role of the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sector (VCFSE) is vital to recognise in this solution. They offer a vast amount of alternative options for people to support their own health and wellbeing and must work with primary care and community health teams as equal partners.
We’ve seen this delivered in practice when working with locality partnerships and the VCFSE sector to create co-designed community-based health and wellbeing interventions with their local residents. By focusing on bringing health teams closer to the communities they serve and addressing health inequalities through preventive approaches and social connection, we can create a healthier, more connected society.
Click below to download further information on our preventative projects within Community Health
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