Primary Care The World's Best

November 6th 2009

Britain's primary care system may well be the best in the world, according to a new international survey.

A survey of some 10,000 primary care physicians placed the UK top for primary care in half a dozen categories.

The survey was carried out by US think-tank the Commonwealth Fund and reported at an international health symposium in Washington DC.

Doctors from 11 countries took part in the survey.

Britain was rated best for improvements over the last three years and for reporting the shortest waiting times for referral to specialist care.

The use of specialist teams to manage chronic conditions and the use of financial incentives to reward doctors for improving patient experience also gained top marks.

The symposium was being addressed by British health secretary Andy Burnham who said: "This is an important moment for the NHS. The journey to overhaul the quality of care over the last ten years has paid off.

"Clinicians now say they are confident they are treating and caring for patients in ways that match the best healthcare systems in the world. The NHS is not perfect but it has moved from poor to good and I want to see it go from good to great on the next stage of the journey."

 

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