NHS England London region and the five London Integrated Care Boards across London are bringing together citizens and NHS staff to help transform primary care services in London.

Londoners value primary care, but recognise it is under significant pressure. Around 52 million primary care appointments take place in London each year, so it is essential that primary care services work effectively for everyone. Increasing demand, constrained resource and fragmented services are resulting in confusion for patients. We know that a longer-term approach is needed, if we are to unlock real change and the London region wants to be innovative in its approach to primary care transformation.

We have worked with Imperial College Health Partners and Ipsos UK to deliver a series of public deliberation workshops. Deliberative engagement is about putting people – through informed discussions, involving diverse perspectives, and understanding lived experiences – at the heart of decision making. It differs from other forms of engagement in that it allows those involved to spend time considering and discussing an issue at length before they come to a considered view.

More than 100 members of the public, as well as NHS staff and those working in social care services, gave their views on primary care services such as GP and dental care during the deliberative exercise. The engagement also involved people from traditionally underrepresented groups to ensure their perspectives were listened to and included.

The public deliberative sessions were held over several weeks in July 2024 and explored people’s views on potential for change and improvement in a wide range of areas relating to better care and access, including triage, consistency of care, onward care and team-based working.

A report on the deliberation findings has been published which encapsulates the views and recommendations from a broad spectrum of Londoners. It offers a roadmap for transformative change, aiming to inspire action and encourage ongoing dialogue between healthcare providers, policymakers, and the public.

The main findings from the engagement sessions include:

• More convenient appointment booking, reduced waiting times and more flexible options like remote consultations and the option to choose remote or in-person appointments.
• Investment in simple, easy-to-use, standardised digital access to services and using AI, but it should be rigorously tested and evaluated.
• Informed patient choice of where to go and who to see for treatment and consideration of travelling times and patient transport.
• Strong support for integrated neighbourhood teams, with access to shared data, and for teams to be tested in more deprived areas of London.

The insights captured in the report will feed into local, ICB and regional strategies, bringing the public’s experiences and expectations into the heart of future policy design and service transformation for the region.

The findings will also feed into the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England’s large scale engagement exercise to co-develop a 10 Year Health Plan and bring a much greater openness and transparency to how public services are planned and delivered, as well as a clearer understanding for the public on the decision-making processes and how we align that with the expectations of the NHS.

For more information on this work, please get in touch with us at london.commsteam@nhs.net.