NHS Next Stage Review: Our vision for primary and community care

The Department for Health’s vision is for primary and community care to provide high quality, personal care and support, treating people when they're sick and helping them stay healthy, where and when they need it most.

Primary and community care services are regarded with pride at home and admiration abroad. Thanks to the dedication of family doctors, community nurses, health visitors, allied health professionals, social care professionals, pharmacists, dentists and opticians, most patients enjoy good quality care, close to home. There are high levels of satisfaction with services and trust in the staff who provide them.

We need to ensure that high-quality care is a consistent part of everyone's experience of primary and community care. Services need to evolve to reflect changes in healthcare and society. This document sets out a vision for how services will continue to grow and develop over the next ten years. It is a vision of a continuously improving service, where essential standards are guaranteed and excellence is rewarded.

(Published 2008)