From October 2023 to March 2024, HEG worked closely with primary care stakeholders to co-develop a tailored version of the NHS Prevention Pledge for use in primary care settings. The initial focus is on GP surgeries and PCNs, with six core commitments at the heart of the model. These commitments were shaped by a working group of clinical directors in Cheshire and Merseyside and further refined through a three-month consultation process.
The pilot is being tested over a six-month period across three PCNs (two in Liverpool and one in Wirral) and two GP practices in Cheshire East. Together, we aim to create a meaningful and practical framework for primary care organisations to drive prevention at every level.
Over the summer, HEG collaborated with pilot sites to map existing practices already addressing health inequalities and advancing preventative healthcare for patients and local communities. This mapping process revealed a substantial amount of work already in progress, much of which aligns with the six core commitments:
- Embedding prevention within governance structures.
- Collaborating with social prescribing teams and local partners to address health inequalities.
- Establishing key anchor institution practices to positively impact the wider determinants of health.
- Implementing the ‘Making Every Contact Count’ (MECC) approach through workforce training and resources.
- Developing health-promoting primary care environments.
- Providing workplace health and wellbeing programmes for staff.
Following this mapping phase, pilot sites have developed action plans focused on these six core commitments, with plans going live from September 2023. These action plans will be monitored over a six-month period, with ongoing support from HEG. We are also facilitating ‘community of practice’ meetings, bringing together all pilot sites to share progress, emerging good practices, and collaborative solutions.
The pilot will evaluate the impact and benefits of this framework for primary care organisations and explore the potential for scaling up implementation across the wider primary care sector in future years. By embedding prevention in primary care, we are taking a proactive, system-wide approach to tackling health inequalities and improving health outcomes for all.
For more information about the NHS Prevention Pledge and the work of the 17 provider trusts in Cheshire and Merseyside, click here.
