Plans to strengthen primary care in Wales too slow

The Auditor General for Wales has stressed that change needs to happen at greater pace in the Welsh Government’s attempts to strengthen primary care in the country.

Adrian Crompton, the Auditor General, said that, despite considerable investment and many plans for primary care transformation over the years, change has not happened as quickly or as widely as intended.

Patients are still experiencing difficulties in accessing appointments with a GP, although the proportion of people finding it difficult to get an appointment decreased slightly from 42 per cent in 2017-18 to 40 per cent last year.

During the last few years a new Primary Care Model for Wales has evolved, which promotes the development of multi-professional primary care teams to reduce the current pressures on GPs and to improve access and services for patients. However, progress on implementing the model is patchy and the pace of change needs to be increased. Crompton also says that there is a need for better engagement with the public to ensure they understand the new ways of working.

he report sets out national-level recommendations for Welsh Government and the National Primary Care Board, including: consulting with health boards, to agree an approach to clarify and standardise the way that primary care expenditure is recorded and reported; driving implementation of the Primary Care Model for Wales and developing, collecting and publishing regular data to help gauge progress; and involving the public more in primary care changes.

Auditor General, Adrian Crompton said: “Primary care services play a vital role in the system of health and care in Wales. Whilst there has been a range of plans to develop primary care, progress in implementing these plans has been limited and primary care has not always had a high enough profile within the NHS in Wales. This has to change, and the new model that is envisaged for primary care needs to be rolled out at a quicker pace and on a larger scale, and with appropriate engagement of staff and service users. Failure to do so will create some real challenges to the sustainability of these vital services.”