Dr Rehaan Ansari, GP and Partner at Cliff House Medical Practice, clinical director at IMP PCN and federation director at IMP healthcare, joined Dr Mohit Venkataram, Deputy CEO at NELFT, for a compelling session on reflections from implementing new contract models of primary care.

Dr Mohit Venkataram, Deputy Chief Executive of the North East London NHS Foundation Trust, emphasised the importance of collaboration between primary care and community services. He celebrated the achievement of nearly 34 million primary care appointments delivered in July, with 44% being same-day and 63% face-to-face, underscoring the sector’s dedication and efficiency.

The spotlight then turned to Dr Rehaan Ansari, a GP and clinical director, who shared his experience leading a pilot initiative under NHS England. The pilot, which provided a 10% funding uplift, aimed to test new service models and improve outcomes.

Dr Ansari explained:

“We hoped that this model would facilitate us being able to build at scale but still respect the local autonomy of our practices.”

Dr Ansari highlighted the Ageing Well team, designed to extend care home expertise to housebound patients, and several innovative practice-level projects, including mental health support and triage systems that significantly reduced appointment wait times.

However, the journey wasn’t without challenges. Dr Ansari also discussed the complexities of unifying independent practices, managing estate strategies, and navigating historical inequities in funding. He stressed that culture, trust, and shared values are critical to successful transformation more so than operational changes or contractual reforms.

The webinar concluded with a call to action: to empower future leaders, foster collaboration, and build a healthcare system rooted in mutual respect and shared purpose.

As Dr Ansari put it:

“If you feel good at the end of your day because you know your patients are being looked after, that’s just as powerful as any data.”

You can watch the full webinar on YouTube here: The Future of Primary Care Webinar in conversation with Dr Rehaan Ansari