Access to out-of-hospital care

As people are living longer with multiple, complex and long-term health issues, they can encounter challenges in accessing the essential primary care, social support and community-based services necessary for managing these conditions. Consequently, they might not receive treatment until their conditions have progressed to a more critical stage (Wickens, 2023). Improving access to out-of-hospital care must not be seen solely as a policy goal; it is a necessity. The NHS Long Term Plan (NHS England, 2019) asserts that the NHS will boost out-of-hospital care and finally end the historic divide between primary and community health services.

NHS England envisions a system where high-quality primary and community services can effectively diagnose, monitor and manage conditions, and unnecessary hospital admissions can be prevented. The aspiration in the NHS Long Term Plan is that community services – such as community nursing, rehabilitation and end-of-life care – will be expanded, and more integrated with primary care and other local services to provide a seamless patient experience.