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NHS England lead: ‘GPs should stop listing problems and start providing solutions’

GP bodies should come up with solutions for new models of primary care to alleviate the pressures on urgent and emergency care, rather than listing the problems, NHS England’s urgent care lead has said.

Speaking at a Westminster Health Forum event in London on Tuesday, Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s director for acute episodes of care, said it is up to the professional bodies to outline their future model of primary care.

He told delegates: ‘Of all the things we’ve done, and the impact modelling we’ve done, and showing how the new urgent and emergency care system might work, the one bit I haven’t got in my head, and we therefore can’t model for, is the new model of general practice and primary care.’

Speaking to Pulse, he added: ‘We heard a presentation from [GPC deputy chair] Richard Vautrey, but it was all the things that aren’t working. The question really is, from me to him: “Ok, so what are the solutions?”

‘I can’t design it, I’m a trauma surgeon, the last person general practice wants designing their model is me. So my plea to that community is to help us by describing the new models of care.’

Professor Willett said: ‘We need to move on and get past telling everyone what the problems are and start coming up with some solutions, so we can test them and model them. So that’s my plea.’