Welsh health secretary Jeremy Miles has recognised the need to transform health services and bring healthcare closer to home.
Speaking at the recent Welsh Local Medical Committees Conference, he emphasised that strengthening the role of GPs would be crucial in improving patient healthcare and tackling NHS waiting lists.
He noted that GPs will play a more prominent role in managing waiting lists to reduce delays and improve patient flow through the health system. This includes expanding diagnostic testing in communities.
Miles said: “It is vital we work together to address the pressures in our NHS by improving access patients have to the care they need, and the flow through our system.
“The role of GPs is fundamental to being able to bring the system back into balance.”
However, he clarified that this transformation is not about overburdening general medical services but rather about commissioning more services in a primary setting and local communities at a “viable and sustainable” scale.
Acknowledging that GPs are crucial in their communities, Miles said that he would work with them to develop “a primary and community care offer that values the skills and expertise of general practice and gives GPs the tools to thrive and delivers the care patients need closer to home.”
He also announced a new initiative to support GPs in providing continuity of care, starting with identifying the most vulnerable patients who would benefit from seeing the same health professional at each appointment.
This approach is expected to improve outcomes for people with chronic conditions and keep them well at home.
Miles agreed that as more diagnostic and other procedures move out of hospitals and into community settings, resources must follow.
“Health boards will be required to declare and increase primary care spending to support this change,” he added.
Helen Morgan's letter to Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.