Recommendations for primary care trusts
- Develop polyclinics only when there are clear benefits to local communities in terms of quality, access and costs. The main focus should be on developing new care pathways, using technologies to improve patient care and better co-working across teams and professions. Improved facilities may be part of the strategy, but new buildings should be a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
- Consider alternative polyclinic models that do not involve major centralisation of family doctor services, such as the ‘hub-and-spoke’ or federated model, where most GPs remain in their premises but can draw on services offered in a central polyclinic or resource centre.
- Primary care trusts will need to ensure there is strong clinical and managerial leadership, supported by clear governance structures.
- Workforce planners at the national and local levels will also need to give urgent attention to the workforce implications of polyclinics.
