GPs must have bigger social role, says primary care tsar

GPs must manage far more of people’s social and health needs, the government’s chief adviser on primary care says today.

In a report, Dr David Colin-Thomé, the national clinical director for primary care, also calls for many existing hospital services to be moved into one-stop community centres.

Colin-Thomé says his proposals, which chime with those in last year’s health and social care white paper, would both save money and improve patient care.

His intervention follows a report from government older people’s health tsar Professor Ian Philp, which also sought to take forward the white paper’s aims.