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What we do

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Shaping future primary care

Lead: Professor Joanne Reeve, Dr Hisham Nobeebaccus, Dr Paul Whybrow

Primary care is a distinct model of health care. International work has defined the elements needed for a strong primary care system: providing community-based  continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, accessible whole-person care. We know that strong primary care delivers efficient, effective and equitable healthcare.

Primary Care is also a setting in which care is delivered. Primary care consists of  refers to a diverse network of health and social care support embedded within communities. The way we design the setting of primary care affects whether and how we achieve the known benefits from strong primary care systems.

At the Academy, we recognise that to get the most benefit from modernising professional practice and redesigning practice models, we need also to modernise the context in which that work happens – the design of primary care systems. Our work seeks to catalyse changes in  policy and societal culture through improving understanding of, and engagement with, primary care as a distinct model of whole-person-centred healthcare – within our region and beyond.

To achieve our goals, we work closely with partners from across the wider primary care community including the Society for Academic Primary Care; the Royal College of GPs, the NIHR including the School for Primary Care Research, NHS England North East & Yorkshire, Health Education England Yorkshire.

Projects

CONNECTED GP

Lead: Professor Joanne Reeve

The Academy is working with partners across Humber and North Yorkshire to develop, describe and deliver a CONNECTED GP career support pathway.

CONNECTED GP brings together partners and initiatives across our region that are helping people to explore, enter and thrive in a career in general practice.

Across Humber and North Yorkshire, CONNECTED GP supports careers at all stages:

Career stage: School students considering a career in medicine and general practice

Career stage: Medical students at Hull York Medical School

  • RCGP-HYMS GP Society

Career stage: GP trainees

Career stage: New to practice GPs

Career stage: Mid-career GPs

Career stage: 'Last five' GPs (end of career)

  • RCGP: Last Five
Homeless Healthcare Hull

Lead: Dr Paul Whybrow

Funding: University of Hull PhD Cluster

This work considers how we can improve health and healthcare for some of the most vulnerable members of our community – people who are homeless. We bring expertise in whole-person primary care, addressing inequalities, and research methodologies to seek innovative ways to improve care for these groups.

Steph Busby, Becci Lee and Krissy Tabiner are our three PhD students working on this topic.

Social Prescribing

Local lead: Professor Joanne Reeve

Study lead: Dr Stephanie Tierney (Oxford Department of Primary Healthcare Sciences)

Funding: NIHR HSDR

Social prescribing has been described as a “social revolution in well-being”. It recognises the potential to enhance health and well-being through non-medical routes, but improving access for people to a wider range of supports and services. As part of the Social Prescribing initiatives, we have seen introduction of the new Link Worker role – non-clinical, trained staff who are able to talk with people about their health needs, help them identify non-medical approaches that may help, and then access support.

This work develops the work from our published realist synthesis through a realist evaluation of the role of link workers on the ground.   

Quality Safety & Outcomes Policy Research Unit

Local lead: Professor Joanne Reeve

Funding: NIHR

The QSO Policy Research Unit is a collaboration between Kent, Oxford, LSHTM, the Picker Institute and the Academy at Hull York Medical School. The unit was established to deliver robust, relevant and usable research to improve the quality and outcomes of the health and social care system.

The work of the unit focuses on three areas: safety, effectiveness and positive experience. The Academy offers primary care expertise in each area.

Primary Care Communities: A Northern Powerhouse

Contact: Professor Joanne Reeve

The Academy is working with academic primary care groups across the north of England to build a community of scholarship driving excellent primary care.

nSAPC is a collaboration between the ten northern university departments within the Society for Academic Primary Care. The Academy hosted our 2020 annual conference – posters and abstracts are still available to download. Updates on our work can be found on the SAPC website.

The Academy also works closely with wider primary care partners and networks including Humber Coast & Vale Healthcare Partnership, RCGP Humber, local practices, Vocational Training Schemes, Health Education England and NHS England.

We have a monthly newsletter providing updates on our work – sign up to receive it by contacting: APC@hyms.ac.uk