16 October 2014

NHS Alliance calls for a new community of care outside of hospitals

The NCHA welcomes a new report from the NHS Alliance showing the role community audiologists can play, as part of a wider team of local health professionals, in preventing ill health and keeping people out of hospital.

The “Think Big, Act Now” report, released today by the NHS Alliance, calls for a ‘responsive and responsible’ community of care that aligns patient need, professional practice and the wider NHS system to develop a more integrated model of care.

It offers a series recommendations for how to develop a stronger, re-energised primary care workforce and utilise resources already within the community estate to support people stay healthy and independent where they live and relieve the pressure on hospitals and GPs.

“We welcome the NHS Alliance’s call for a patient-focused and inclusive approach to modern NHS care,” said NCHA Head of Policy Harjit Sandhu. “In particular we are pleased to see the reframing of primary care to a broader definition that includes all healthcare delivered out of hospital.”

The report makes ten practical recommendations on how to deliver better care outside of hospitals. The NCHA is pleased to note that these recommendations include a call for a greater utilisation of community premises to ‘support the kind of care patients want and need’ and a demedicalisation of care to offer appropriate support for minor and routine health interventions. 

Download the “Think Big, Act Now” report