The Government's Ten Year Health Plan is being delivered through 3 big shifts: Hospital to Community, Analogue to Digital and Sickness to Prevention.
Below you will find information on just some of the numerous ways that we are already working to 'shift' care from hospitals to communities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, including:
Local people are now able to book more appointments with different healthcare professionals at GP practices, like physiotherapists, pharmacists, paramedics and social prescribers, meaning they can be seen quicker and cared for in the best possible way.
“Across Hampshire and Isle of Wight we delivered almost 700,000 extra appointments in 2024 compared to the year before. That’s a huge increase year on year. We also have a wide range of specialists working in general practice, often able to offer more relevant advice and support.”
- James Roach, Director of Primary and Local Care at NHS Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Many pharmacies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can now see and treat people with seven common minor illnesses. This scheme builds on the great work pharmacies already do in our community to support managing minor illnesses at home.
For these seven health conditions, pharmacists will have a private conversation with a patient to see if they can help them manage their condition. In some cases the pharmacist will be able to provide medicines to help treat the illness if appropriate.
At Southampton's new Shirley Health Centre - housed in a former Lidl supermarket - more than 15,000 patients access a comprehensive range of services under one roof. The centre brings together GPs, mental health professionals, health coaches, social prescribers, midwives from University Hospital Southampton, and mental health practitioners from the Steps2Wellbeing service.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Long Covid Service is working with patients to provide professionally-led rehabilitation from a team of allied health professionals in the community - including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and care-coordinators. They work with patients to assess their symptoms and come up with personalised health plans, as well as hosting group sessions and ongoing support.
The service have created an incredible suite of films and recordings available on our website, offering relaxation and breathing techniques, as well as advice on living with fatigue, to help people manage their condition as effectively as possible at home.
Many practices within Hampshire and Isle of Wight are participating in a flexible commissioning scheme, which offers extra NHS dentistry sessions for patients who require additional treatment after receiving care for an urgent dental need.
The scheme will also provide routine check-ups for specific patient cohorts, like nursing and expectant mothers, armed forces families, looked after children and homeless people. Patients do not need to be known to, or associated with, the practice to access these sessions.
