Summary
The Live Well model is moving at pace and impacts community pharmacy, dentistry, general practice and optometry.
Primary care providers are encouraged to find out more about Live Well.
The newly published Live Well Hallmarks explain the underlying principles for the design of the Live Well Model and are intended to support local areas – including primary care providers – to shape and strengthen their Live Well approach.
The hallmarks outline the approach to a consistent, joined-up local and health care system, that works as one team, focusing on prevention and ensuring the combined resources across the NHS, government and locally funded services are aligned to what the community needs.
Live Well is Greater Manchester’s commitment to ensure everyone can access great everyday support in every neighbourhood.
It aims to support primary care providers to link patients to a wider range of trusted community services that help with the non-medical issues which can contribute to a person’s ill-health.
Live Well will ultimately free up more time in consulting rooms to focus on patients’ clinical needs and ensure primary care is fully integrated into the local neighbourhood offer.
This involves all four disciplines of primary care: community pharmacy, dentistry, general practice and optometry.
It will do this by addressing unmet social needs – like issues around housing, finances, welfare, employment, loneliness or isolation – and how they can impact a patient’s health, such as support needed for smoking, diet, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.
Work on the model continues at pace, with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham recently expressing his support for the work in an interview with the Royal College of General Practice’s magazine, GP Frontline.
Recent consultations with primary care representatives across Greater Manchester called for their involvement in the design of Live Well offers locally, and for work to be done to make it easier to work in this way – through developments in commissioning, information, communication, workforce support, digital and data.
Some primary care providers are already involved in developing Live Well in their localities, like Oldham Family Practice. For them, the model is improving the quality of the patient’s experience, supporting them to be more involved in their own care and enabling professionals to see themes and trends in demographics that could inform future strategic approaches.
Julie Wooton, non-clinical partner at the practice said: “We provide health checks in the community, aiming to identify and address problems and signpost to the most appropriate community service for their needs before they become serious.
“Our enhanced health checks go beyond standard contractual requirements, and include BMI, weight, height, smoking and drinking habits, CKD indicator, and blood tests.
“Yet, the lifestyle components we discuss include the socio-economic factors such as poverty, wellbeing, mental health and employment – and it helps us to signpost to our adult social care and community colleagues.”
Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board (GMPCB) is keen to support the Live Well model and will share examples of what has been tried and learnt, along with updates about the mobilisation of Live Well, via our website, social media channels and newsletter, Provider Update.
