How can primary care continue to deliver at scale in an increasingly complex and uncertain world? That question sat at the heart of the latest Future of Primary Care webinar, hosted by Dr Mohit Venkataram, Deputy Chief Executive at North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT). 

Opening the session, Dr Venkataram reflected on how global instability and societal pressures increasingly shape health and wellbeing, arguing that primary care sits “right at the centre” of this complexity. He said:

“If there’s one part of the health service that sits right at the centre of this complex web and manages this well, it’s primary care."

He also highlighted the sheer scale of primary care delivery. In November alone, over 32 million appointments were delivered nationally, with almost two thirds taking place face to face. Yet, he emphasised that systems of this scale cannot be sustained by processes alone. He noted:

“The only way to do it well is not through processes and appointment systems. It’s through having a resilient workforce model,” 

The webinar welcomed Laura Norton, Chief Operating Officer at North West Leicestershire GP Federation, as guest speaker. Serving a population of over 112,000 people across 12 GP practices, North West Leicestershire GP Federation has become nationally recognised for its innovative workforce and service models. 

Laura described herself simply as “a primary care person,” reflecting on her 20-year career across provider and commissioning roles, and her motivation to return to frontline delivery. She said:

“I love the relationships, the culture, all the different things that go on that I’ve personally not found in any other environment."

Laura shared how the federation delivers services collectively, reducing variation for patients while avoiding additional burden on already stretched practices. 

One standout example was the Women’s Health Hub, initially launched to respond to rising demand for menopause care. Led largely by specialist pharmacists and advanced practitioners, the hub has expanded to include a wider range of gynaecological services. Laura explained:

“We’ve actually reduced our referrals to secondary care by 35% in the four years that we’ve been doing this.”

Another key initiative was the mental health hub, created in response to high local rates of suicide and self-harm. The service provides a single point of access, rapid triage, and support from a multidisciplinary team including mental health practitioners, wellbeing workers and social prescribing staff. Laura said:

“There’s not lots of exclusion criteria… you’re not finding patients bouncing around.”

The results have been significant, including a 20% reduction in crisis team utilisation and over 3,000 patients supported in a year. 

Central to Leicester West’s success has been a strong focus on staff experience. When Laura joined the federation, staff turnover stood at around 30%. Through flexible working, shared roles, funded development opportunities and wellbeing support, that figure has fallen dramatically. Laura said:

“Without our workforce, we’re nothing."

The approach has paid off, with the majority of staff now reporting enthusiasm for their roles and recommending the organisation as a place to work. 

As Dr Venkataram reflected during the discussion, what stood out was not just the services themselves, but the mindset behind them, as he said:

“It is the hearts and minds that matter, not the finances."

The session closed with a shared sense of realism and optimism. While funding uncertainty, short-term contracts and system pressures remain, the webinar reinforced that meaningful change is possible when organisations focus on outcomes, relationships and local need. 

“Don’t get caught in the things that don’t let you do what you have to do,” Dr Venkataram concluded, “because what matters is the outcome for the residents we are serving.” 

You can watch the full webinar on YouTube here

Register now for the next Future of Primary Care webinar with Dr Camille Hirons and Dr Mohit Venkataram.