In this episode of Embedded Conversations, Scott McKenzie is joined by Dr Paul Netts, a GP based in Newcastle and one of the earliest pioneers of delivering hospital services through primary care.
Paul has spent years putting into practice what many systems are only now talking about, shifting care out of hospitals and into the community in a way that genuinely works for patients, clinicians and the wider NHS.
The conversation focuses on hospital subcontracts held by general practice, how they actually operate day to day and why they can unlock capacity, improve access and strengthen relationships between primary and secondary care.
Paul explains how his team delivered paediatric allergy services traditionally provided in hospital, what it took to get the model off the ground and why collaboration with consultants was far more practical and less problematic than many assume.
They also explore the operational and financial realities behind the model, including how it benefits trusts, frees up specialist capacity and improves patient experience through more accessible, community-based care.
For pharma, MedTech and device organisations, this episode offers a clear message – if you want to support the NHS effectively, you need to think in terms of pathways, not products, and understand where models like this can genuinely make a difference.
This is a grounded, experience led conversation for anyone working in, or alongside, the NHS who wants to understand how care can be redesigned in practice, not just in policy.
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