New models of primary care: practical lessons

This event report summarises a series of Nuffield Trust seminars that took place to discuss new and emerging models of primary care.

Report

Published: 12/12/2013

Download the report [PDF 257.8KB]

The pressures on general practice in England were described in detail in the recent report Securing the future of general practice (July 2013). Following publication of the report, we have received numerous requests from GP groups across the country to help them understand the practicalities of forming networks and federations.

This event report summarises a series of Nuffield Trust seminars that examined the practical challenges of implementing three of the new organisational models described in Securing the future of general practice.

The case studies demonstrate some common characteristics that have enabled successful transformation of general practices. However, a culture change is needed in practices which are used to NHS funding for organisational development Dr Rebecca Rosen, report co-author

These models aim to balance the benefits of small and local organisations with the scale and capacity to improve quality and deliver a wider range of services. The models are:

  • Super-partnerships: Large-scale single partnerships created through list growth and formal partnership mergers;
  • Multi-practices: Small-scale GP partnerships managing multiple practices and services;
  • Federations or Networks: Collaborations between multiple practices through informal linkages (networks) or formal legal contracts (federations).

This report shares insights about the approaches taken by the case study sites, the experiences of their leaders and their learning to date. The authors hope that the report will inform the many similar discussions that are currently underway amongst practices across the country.

Learn more about the Nuffield Trust’s work examining how to meet the future challenges for primary care.

Suggested citation

Rosen R and Parker H (2013) New models of primary care: practical lessons. Research report. Nuffield Trust.