01 / Introduction

The NHS is under immense strain. It is battling staff shortages, historic underfunding, and a growing UK population with complex health needs. The majority of spending so far has been applied to areas in acute clinical need and day-to-day running costs. But attention is now turning to improving primary care buildings.

If someone has a health concern, their first point of contact is likely to be a primary care service. Acting as the front door of the national health service, these services include GPs, community pharmacies, and dental and eye health services. Such services have often operated separately from one another. However, the NHS Long Term Plan, a 10-year blueprint for the national health service, sets out commitments that will fundamentally change how these services are delivered.

Primary care funding is now on the rise, in part to relieve the burden on acute health services such as A&E and hospital care. The planned distribution of NHS funding for 2019/20 will see the majority of the funding (almost £80bn) allocated to CCGs for commissioning local health services.

This represents a chance for primary healthcare buildings – ranging from mental health services, to obesity management clinics, to diabetes prevention services –  to receive the investment they need in order to meet localised healthcare demands, which vary from region to region, and from community to community.

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