Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on delivering the integration of primary and community services with seven-day access in Mid Sussex constituency since 2015-16.

David Mowat

NHS England advises that it is working closely with NHS Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG and local general practitioner (GP) practices to implement seven-day access to primary care. All practices within the Mid Sussex constituency are already operating some level of extended access to patients, including appointments before 8am, evening appointments, and Saturday appointments.

Plans to further integrate local primary and community services are well advanced. Community teams are coming together with groups of GP practices to create a more co-ordinated service. This will improve patient experience and outcomes, ensuring that people see the right healthcare practitioner first time in the right setting, rather than having multiple assessments and appointments.

This work will inform the development of the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) for Sussex and East Surrey, which will determine how the local health and care system will evolve over the coming years. The development of the STP is being led locally by clinical commissioning groups, health providers, local authorities and other local partners, and the Department would encourage local hon. Members to contribute to the process.