Innovative community-based prevention scheme demonstrates importance of investing in primary care

Responding to the NHS door-to-door health worker scheme pilot, Dr Adrian Hayter, Medical Director of Clinical Policy at the Royal College of GPs, said:

“Preventive medicine is a clinical priority for the College, so it’s good to see community-based prevention schemes, such as this, being explored. 

“Whilst it’s important these trials are evaluated before wider rollout, the initial results being reported seem encouraging, not only the higher uptake of vaccination services and screening programmes, but also that there has been a significant increase in wellbeing, a reduction in hospital admissions and a drop in loneliness among those patients involved.

“We know that patients want to be treated closer to home, and delivering care in the community is also more cost effective for the NHS. This scheme is an example of how investing in primary care and community-based schemes can deliver joined up, personalised care for those who need it most, but who often find accessing services really difficult.

"If the NHS is going to get back on its feet, we cannot continue to firefight – we must intervene earlier so that patients can live healthier lives for longer, prevent long-term illness, and ultimately ease pressure across the entire system.” 

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.