Our response covered:
- GP practices would benefit from more support for community outreach to address health inequalities.
- The importance of aligning public health with the rest of the health and social care system when delivering outreach and other health inequalities work.
- Ensure that equity of access is provided and there is a recognition of the need for adjustments for particular patient groups. This is a part of core general practice, but not always reflected in top-down commissioning decisions.
- Where infection control measures are mandated there needs to be an evidence base that the risk of not implementing them outweighs the health impacts of the disruption to care that they create. When implemented, the procurement of appropriate equipment and can consumables should be funded.
- The need for better understanding in public health of what GPs are contracted (and therefore resourced) to do, rather than relying on GPs to fill commissioning gaps such as infection outbreak management and contact tracing.