There needs to be a commitment from government, the Department of Health and Social Care and all parts of the NHS to use language carefully and if they use the term Primary Care it is only in reference to all four pillars of Primary Care.
The use of “primary care” to refer only to General Medical Practice is inaccurate, confusing and insulting to the rest of primary care.
Any entity with Primary Care in the title must be required to actually involve in a meaningful way, all of primary care.
Primary Care Collaboratives which do not have meaningful representation from their Local Dental, Pharmacy and Optical Committees must either change their name to GP Collaboratives or bring the other representative committees into the Collaborative.
What is the Problem?
Primary Care means all of primary care so when reports, guidance etc. use the term to refer only to General Medical Practice it is not only incorrect but confusing.
Accuracy in language is important as there are some policies, funding streams and resources which are only available or relevant to GPs but are referred to as primary care; this wastes time and resources of busy practitioners who have to decipher what is relevant for them.
Using primary care to refer only to General Medical Services diminishes the contribution of the rest of primary care and places GP services in a privileged position.
Inappropriate use of the term primary care has a knock on effect which compounds confusion and legitimises the exclusion of the rest of primary care.
At a time when the NHS is promoting integration accuracy in language and the equitable standing of primary care is even more important.
