Primary care programmes
Healthcare Improvement Scotland has been delivering primary care improvement programmes since 2013. During that time, we have used quality improvement methodology to enhance primary care service delivery and improve the safety and quality of care for people across Scotland.
Current primary care programmes
Click on the programme name to find out more about the programme including how to get involved in improvement activities.
- Primary Care Phased Investment Programme: We work with primary care services to improve implementation of pharmacotherapy and Community Treatment and Care (CTAC) services, develop a culture of continual improvement and build evidence to understand the national context for General Medical Services (GMS) contract implementation.
- Primary Care Access Programme: We work with primary care teams to improve access to safe care.
- Pharmacotherapy: We work with general practice teams and pharmacotherapy services across a range of NHS boards and HSCPs to test changes to prescribing processes and support delivery of Pharmacotherapy services.
- Community Treatment and Care Network: We work with healthcare professionals across NHS boards and HSCPs who are implementing CTAC services to share emerging learning that improves the delivery of CTAC services.
- Frailty Improvement Programme: We work with NHS Boards, health and social care partnerships and GP practices to spread improvements to health and social care services accessed by people aged 65 and over who are living with frailty.
- GP Cluster Improvement Network: We work with those leading or supporting GP clusters across Scotland to enable improvement by facilitating sharing of learning, peer support and good practice.
- Primary Care Learning System: We work with primary care staff to share emerging learning that improves the delivery of primary care.
- SPSP Primary Care: Improving safety in the community and across the interface.
Previous primary care programmes
You can find out more and continue to access the resources from our previous programmes:
- Practice Administrative Staff Collaborative: Worked with Practice Administrative Staff to develop their quality improvement (QI) skills while improving key GP practice processes and outcomes and care experience for people, families and staff. Data from 17 practices within PASC found that on average GPs reviewed 44% less paperwork after implementing workflow optimisation. Key outputs from this work include the Workflow Optimisation Toolkit, the Care Navigation 10 Step Guide and the Care Navigation Toolkit.
- Future Care Planning: Worked with Scottish Government, Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, and NHS Education for Scotland to develop tools and resources to help people receive person-centred, high quality care in the right place at the right time. Key outputs from this work include the Future Care Planning Toolkit, guidance and top tips for reviewing and updating Key Information Summaries and the Essential Future Care Planning tool. This work will be reviewed in 2023.