Primary Care Bodies Unite To Take Fight for Financial Security to Parliament
30 January 2026
MPs attending Parliamentary “Moving from Crisis to Recovery” event told investment in primary care needed now to future-proof the NHS.
National primary care bodies, the British Dental Association, British Medical Association, Community Pharmacy England, Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee and the Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers have joined forces to make the case for investment into primary care across Parliament.
At the “Moving from Crisis to Recovery” Future of Primary Care Parliamentary event hosted this week, MPs were reminded that primary care is the foundation of the health and care system and the front door to the NHS. It is where the public go for advice, treatment, and referrals to more specialised care if needed.
Primary care services are the place where primary patient relationships with healthcare are built, ensuring continuity of care which is critical for prevention and treatment. It is vital that this essential part of the NHS is protected and built upon for the future.
MPs were warned that if primary care continues to be under-prioritised and underfunded compared with the rest of the NHS and relative to its costs, access and patient health will continue to be put at risk.
The event, which was sponsored by Helen Maguire MP, Liberal Democrat Primary Care and Cancer Spokesperson, was well-attended with 21 MPs, peers and their staff present on the day, and many more in touch before the event.
The five primary care sectors have come together with a united voice and message, as set out in the Joint Primary Care Briefing, complete with shared objectives.
Our four calls to action for Government are:
- Use primary care to prioritise care closer to home and patient choice
- Urgently invest in primary care to future-proof the NHS
- Give primary care a role to shape the future of Neighbourhood Health
Services under Government direction - Improve digital infrastructure and IT connectivity for efficient community care
MPs are being asked to urge Government to support these objectives and to take a series of actions to call for direct political intervention to secure a long-term sustainable future for the primary care sector.
Helen Maguire, Member of Parliament for Epsom & Ewell and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Primary Care and Cancer, said: “I was delighted to sponsor this event and hear directly from organisations across primary care, all of whom underscored an important message: Primary care is the front door to our NHS, but is under increasing pressure.
“The Government must provide comprehensive investment to secure a sustainable future for the NHS and its primary care services.”
Eddie Crouch, British Dental Association Chair, said: “We’ve been told that primary care is heart of the NHS. That it’s the front door. And that now is the time to shift the focus from hospital to the high street.
“Soundbites are all well and good. But what tens of millions of our patients need is real commitment, underpinned by sustainable investment.”
Dr Katie Bramall, BMA GPCE Chair, said: “Primary care – the front door of the NHS – has been undervalued for too long by successive Governments with the quality of patient care deteriorating as a result. Tens of millions of patients are seen every month by GPs and with dwindling resource and patient demand spiralling out of control, it’s now of the upmost importance that general practice is rebuilt on a foundation of sustainable investment.
“A fully resourced primary care system benefits everyone by reducing waiting lists, easing pressure off of hospitals, allowing clinicians to deliver the care that patients deserve but, most importantly, providing continuity of care in the community, which is proven to reduce far more costly urgent, emergency and elective care episodes in hospitals.”
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “Primary care is the NHS’ first line of defence, yet it has been left underfunded for far too long. Community pharmacy teams, like our primary care colleagues, are holding up the frontline with extraordinary commitment, but goodwill alone cannot sustain vital services. Without urgent, significant investment, the foundation of the NHS will continue to erode.
“The united call from across primary care is a clear message to Government: if Ministers want to protect access to vital healthcare, keep people well for longer, and deliver care closer to home, they must invest urgently in the services that the public rely on every day.”
David Hewlett, Director of Policy and Strategy at the Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers, said: “It was great to see all parts of primary care coming together in Parliament today, topromote what needs to happen under 10 Year Health Plan and the Darzi review, as well as to see so many MPs turning up to find out more and lend their support to our shared primary care goals.
“We all back the shift from hospital to the community, but this requires funding to follow the patient and a strategic steer from central government – otherwise the NHS will not deliver the 10 Year Plan. We will continue to work together to ensure the voice of primary care is heard at all levels.”
Paul Caroll, Chair of the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee, said: “Primary care already has the skills and infrastructure to deliver more care, closer to home. The evidence shows that expanding NHS services such as those delivered in high street optical practices relieves pressure on hospitals and A&Es, gives patients faster local access and choice, and delivers on the Government’s neighbourhood health ambitions. But to succeed we need to see a commitment to proper investment that will make services both resilient and sustainable.
“We continue to work with our primary care partners to ensure that chronic underfunding across sectors is both recognised and addressed.”