Five Facts about NHS and primary care
pharmafile | September 5, 2026 | Feature | Medical Communications |Â Â Five Facts, HRT, NHS, primary careÂ
1
Primary care is the front door to the NHS, but it extends well beyond general practice. It includes primary medical care, community pharmacy, dentistry and eye care, providing the first point of contact for many patients and playing a central role in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and the management of long-term conditions. [1]
2
The NHS is seeking to move care closer to patients through a major shift from hospital to community. The 10 Year Health Plan for England identifies three broad changes: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital and from sickness to prevention. The aim is to provide more care locally, at home and through community-based services, while reducing pressure on acute hospitals. [2]
3
Primary care is increasingly becoming a collaborative rather than GP-only model.
Neighbourhood health services are intended to bring together GPs, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, social care professionals and voluntary organisations around the needs of local populations. The model is particularly relevant to people living with multiple or long-term conditions, where care can otherwise become fragmented. [3]
4
Community pharmacy is expected to take on a greater clinical role.
Pharmacy First and related reforms are designed to make better use of community pharmacists, while NHS planning for 2026/27 includes the development of prescribing-based services and closer integration between pharmacies and general practice. This potentially creates new routes for medicines, services and innovation to reach patients outside traditional hospital settings. [4]
5
The future of primary care will depend partly on how effectively new technologies can be integrated. Shifting from analogue to digital encompasses tools ranging from improved patient access and integrated records to ambient voice technology, remote monitoring and digital services. For pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, the changing primary care landscape may therefore become an increasingly important part of the pathway through which innovation reaches patients. [5]
Pic: Shutterstock
References:
[1] https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/changes-to-the-gp-contract-in-2026-27/?utm
[2] https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/?utm
[3] https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/the-month-july-2025/?utm
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