On 23rd December 2022, NHSE published its national priorities for 2023/24: NHS England » 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance. The overarching priories are:
- recovery of core services and productivity;
- delivery of the key ambitions in the Long Term Plan; and
- continuing the transformation of the NHS for the future.
The recovery of core services is the most immediate priority, and one aspect of this is improving access to primary care services, particularly general practice. NHSE are asking ICBs to work with their system partners to develop plans to meet the objectives, which will need to be submitted in due course.
There is an expectation that ICBs and primary and secondary care providers will work together to meet national objectives.
NHSE have prepared an annex identifying the actions which systems and providers are asked to take to deliver these objectives. For primary care providers, the key actions required are to ensure that people can more easily contact their GP practice and to transfer lower acuity care away from general practice and NHS 111 by increasing pharmacy participation in the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. NHSE will publish the “General Practice Access Recovery Plan” in the new year which will provide further details of the actions needed.
For further information, please contact:
Alison Oliver, Partner, Hill Dickinson
alison.oliver@hilldickinson.com
