Improving how health care is delivered

Improving how health care is delivered

Primary care is our first point of contact with the NHS. This includes contact with general practitioners (GPs), community nurses and midwives, advanced nurse practitioners, dentists, dental nurses, optometrists, dispensing opticians, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. It can also include allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, dietitians, paramedics, and occupational therapists.

The health of people living in remote, rural and island communities relies on effective models of care and delivery by multidisciplinary teams of health professionals. The Primary Care Practice Models programme is exploring the development of projects that will improve how primary care professionals deliver healthcare in remote and rural locations. It comes under the Leadership and Good Practice workstream and involves collaboration with stakeholders.

NES has five practice model projects underway. They include:

1. Identifying national and international leadership courses that have specific relevance to rural primary health care services and practitioners.
2. Collaborating with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) to exchange knowledge and work in partnership.
3. Providing Associate supervisor opportunities to graduates exiting the Rural Advanced Practice MSc programme, taught by the University of the Highlands & Islands. Also, ongoing access to a Practice Supervision Hub hosting training resources to support excellence in practice supervision.
4. Supporting paramedics providing primary care services, to undertake the Rural Advanced Practice MSc programme.
5. Piloting a Community Training Hub with three primary care practices in Scotland; identifying, developing and exchanging training resources between practices, through the Hub; and bringing together primary care education programmes suitable for GP’s, pharmacists, practice nurses and advanced nurse practitioners.

Trish Gray, Head of Programme for the Leadership & Good Practice and Education and Training workstreams, NES, said:

“We are taking forward our primary care practice models work in collaboration with key stakeholders including remote and rural practitioners within the multidisciplinary team. Their contributions and insights will help us develop and improve access to education and training programmes, which will contribute to the sustainability of primary health care delivery in remote and rural communities.”

For more information visit Primary Care Practice Models | Turas | Learn

Or contact nes.ruralteam@nhs.scot

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