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<p>No services have transferred from secondary to primary care during the COVID-19
pandemic. A number of steps have been taken to ensure patients can be treated safely,
and that sufficient capacity was available in hospitals to treat patients with COVID-19.
No updates to the NHS Standard Contract were required to facilitate these changes,
which included:</p><p>- All practices have adopted total triage model, allowing them
to appropriately treat patients either face to face or remotely;</p><p>- COVID-19
Clinical Assessment Service arrangements were put in place to supplement existing
111 services, to ensure patients were assessed and referred to appropriate treatment
in the community or in hospital as required, and;</p><p>- New discharge funding arrangements
have been in place to ensure allow the safe and rapid discharge of those people who
no longer need to be in a hospital bed. This funding has allowed patients to be quickly
discharged either to their homes, for rehabilitation or short-term care, or for ongoing
nursing care, often in a bedded setting.</p><p> </p><p>Ongoing collaboration between
secondary and primary care providers is essential to ensuring patients are treated
appropriately, led by local systems.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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