Primary care is basically, care that is based within the community. It has been stated that although the view of primary care being, care for the chronically disabled and mild self limited disorders it has evolved to be at least as complex and diverse as in hospital care. Primary care is however difficult to define but according to the World Health Organization (1978) it is the provision of health services for individuals, the family and the community… bringing health care as close as possible to where people live and work and constitutes the first element of continuing the health care process. Primary care has been distinguished as having three main sectors and these are Preventative Care, Intermediate Care, and also Accute Care. “ Working within the primary care setting offers the opportunity for professionals to work with individuals and families holistically on a regular basis” White(2003). There is then the opportunity to provide individuals with advice and support to promote prevention. The jobs have also evolved within primary care creating a very diverse client group and needs, this is mainly due to “Hospital stays being shorter so patients are being discharged into the community requiring more acute technical care than previously” Parham(2003). Where acute care within the community is concerned these are such incidents as palliative care within the home.
Due to the recognition of the importance of primary care, primary groups were created in 1999, this was post implementation of the White paper: The new NHS modern and dependable (Department of Health,1997). The purpose of these groups were to improve the health of the local population they covered and to address the health inequalities and also develop primary care and community health services (Banks-Smith 2001). Then the PCG’S created and encouraged primary care to break into PCT’S (Primary Care Trusts) this now means that each trust manages their own services.
There are many professions involved in the primary care sector. Here are some examples:-
- District Nurses
- Health Visitors
- School Nurses
- Practice Nurses
- Specialist Practitioners
- General Practitioners
- Community Psychiatric Nurses
- Voluntary Organisations
Here are also some services that are available due to the advances in the primary care sector:-
- Walking Centres
- Hospital Home Schemes
- NHS Direct
- Nurse Purscribers in the Community
- The Expert Patient
Within Primary Health Care, collaboration is essential. Collaboration is defined as being practice working together to achieve a goal. It is the working together of agencies to provide a whole service. According to DOH (2002) primary care should aim to work within a collaborative model “This approach is a proven method of spreading and adapting existing knowledge to multiple sites to achieve a common aim”. Working within a collaborative practice provides participants with a set of principles, ideas and actions that will lead to improvements. “Collaboration is not only useful but essential to providing high quality, seemless health care” Stated Cook (2002). According to Steel (1999) ”Collaboration implies partnership”. From these statements it is possible to conclude that a basic meaning for collaboration is teamwork. In the health profession it is the multi disciplinary team working together to meet the needs of a individual whether these needs are social, physical or emotional.
