New project to critically appraise primary care innovation in Wales
The Health Services Management Centre (HSMC) at the University of Birmingham has been commissioned to complete a critical appraisal of a health care programme which aims to share innovation around primary care services such as those offered by GPs, thereby reducing hospital admissions and pressure on A&E departments.
Primary health care is the first point of contact for health care for most people. Effective and accessible care at this point can reduce admissions to hospital, thereby allowing staff in hospitals to focus their resources on the very sick and planned specialist care. The Pacesetter programme led by Public Health Wales aims to stimulate innovation around primary care and promote the redesign of services, with a view to learning from those which deliver benefit and share successes across Wales.
HSMC has been commissioned by the Primary Care Hub of Public Health Wales, on behalf of Health Board Directors of Primary Community and Mental Health Services, to undertake a critical appraisal of the Pacesetter programme.
There are 24 projects across the seven Health Boards which are exploring the following themes:
- Exploring new models for delivering primary care services
- Creating new roles within the primary care team
- Building integrated primary care support and capability
- Developing innovative referral/demand management models
The programme has led to the development of an emerging model for Primary Care in Wales. This model has six key components that align to Ministerial priorities for the transformation of primary care, which include primary care sustainability, more services delivered in the community and improved access to quality care.
The purpose of the critical appraisal is to identify the key components necessary for the transformation of primary care in Wales, and to understand what enables the components to be successfully deployed in Local Health Board contexts. This work will inform further development of the emerging model for Primary Care in Wales.
To find out more about the project please contact Dr Robin Miller (pictured), Deputy Director HSMC: [email protected]
