Skip to content Skip to navigation menu 26 September 2008
Primary care plays a crucial role as the front-line service of
the NHS, particularly in Wales, which has some of the most
disadvantaged communities in Europe. Effective, comprehensive
primary care improves not only health but also quality of life.
However, the provision of primary care varies greatly across the
country. Rural and post-industrial areas pose very different
healthcare challenges. The review by Derek Wanless identified a
need for primary care investment and development to ensure
sustainability of both primary and secondary care services.
Currently, a lot of health care is delivered in hospitals that
could and should be provided in the community, close to where
people live and more cost effectively. The Welsh Assembly
Government’s vision is for locally accessible services offering
patients integrated services from clinical, health and social
care professionals, together with services for procedures where
quality is enhanced by concentrating