Primary care

Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare available in every local area and the first place people go when they need health advice or treatment.

Patients access primary care services through their local GP practice, dental practice and pharmacy. There are also some organisations which help to deliver primary care.

Primary Care Networks

The population has grown significantly since the birth of the NHS and people are living much longer. Many people in the UK today are living with long-term conditions such as diabetes and heart disease or suffer with mental health issues and may need to access their local health services more often.

To meet these changing needs, GP practices have begun working closely with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital and voluntary services in the local area in Primary Care Networks (PCN).

These networks build on the core of primary care and enable a more joined-up approach to how health and social care is provided.

GP federations

A GP federation is a group of GP practices that has formed an organisation to work together in providing health services and improving patient experience.

There are two federations in our CCG area:

CBC Health supports GP practices across Gateshead.

Newcastle GP Services supports GP practices based in Newcastle.