Responding to a new report from The King’s Fund on making care closer to home a reality, Dr John Dean, RCP clinical vice president said:
‘Though often thought of as ‘hospital doctors’, physicians work in the community too. We play a crucial role in developing and delivering community-based specialist services and integrated care. However, as The King’s Fund describes, the success of these services is often hampered by financial barriers, fragmented care structures, and limited medical training opportunities.
‘Next month, at a college workshop to discuss the shift from hospital to community, and in partnership with the Patients Association, the RCP will launch Prescription for outpatients, which will set out our vision for the future of specialist planned care. It will call on the government to put outpatient reform at the centre of the 10 Year Plan, supported by the funding and resource to make the system work for patients and clinicians. Many of the findings in today’s report from The King’s Fund mirror our recommendations: we need to put patients and prevention at the heart of planned specialist care. The political narrative and priorities for investment must change, supported by meaningful national metrics that measure the things that matter, like diagnosis, outcomes and patient experience.
‘The government must invest in technology, estate, and perhaps most importantly, the NHS workforce, if we are to stand any chance of delivering a long-term shift from hospitals to the community. We’re especially keen to support more resident doctors to undertake their medical training in the community, and our NextGen campaign, working with our Resident Doctor Committee, is exploring how we can draw on best practice and share learning between different specialties on this.’