Primary Healthcare Facilities

Baroness Tyler of Enfield Excerpts

Monday 17th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

There are indeed many aspects of community care, as the noble Baroness refers to in terms of community hospitals. I emphasise that we are moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, to spot problems earlier and to help people stay healthier for longer. It is of course up to local health systems to decide how best to serve their local communities, and services will vary according to where they are across the country.

[Baroness Tyler of Enfield (LD)]

My Lords, as part of the shift from hospital to community, what specific plans do the Government have to set up more walk-in diagnostic centres and polyclinics as a way of allowing quicker and easier access to joined-up healthcare for patients, giving them greater control and reducing current pressures on GP surgeries and hospitals?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

We will be providing further details in the national implementation programme, but I can say that neighbourhood health guidelines have already been published to help ICBs, local authorities and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health. We will trial neighbourhood health centres to bring together a range of services, and others that the noble Baroness refers to, to ensure that healthcare is closer to home and that patients receive the care they deserve when and how they need it.