£3.5m funding boost for Wales GP primary care services

Health Minister Mark Drakeford aims to provide an improved 'closer to home' health service

A £3.5 million funding boost to improve primary care services has been approved across Wales, Health Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

The money is to be used to improve the quality of services provided by GPs, nurses, pharmacists and therapists to patients.

It is also hoped the extra money will be used to provide more services to people living in deprived communities.

The money is being made available from central Welsh government funds.

Where the money is going

• £2m to improve the skills of staff, including medicine management and developing GP skills

• £600,000 to the seven health boards to provide an additional 7,274 eye appointments

• £300,000 each to Aneurin Bevan and Cwm Taf health boards to help identify people at increased risk of cardiovascular heart disease

• £300,000 for training to develop a multi-disciplinary primary care workforce

Mr Drakeford said the money would help reduce the dependence on hospital-based care.

"By providing a 'closer to home' health service which is better integrated with social care and has close links with services provided by the third and independent sectors we will reduce inequalities in health," he said.

"This new funding will help realise our ambition to create a strong, highly-trained primary care workforce, which can deliver a wide-range of services in local communities."