Primary health care centres in the UK: putting policy into practice

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the challenges in putting government policy on the development of a new generation of primary health care centres into practice, at a time when a growing number of property companies are moving into the primary health care market. Design/methodology/approach - The paper begins by outlining the government policy issues driving the development of primary health care centres, it describes the ways in which these centres are being developed and discusses some of the issues involved in putting government policy into practice. Findings - The paper reveals that the government's plans to develop a new generation of primary health care centres have provoked considerable controversy and it explores five sets of issues, namely the quality of health care; location and accessibility; economies of scale and cost savings; the changing balance of public and private sector provision; and impacts within the wider urban environment. Originality/value - The paper provides an accessible review of the debate surrounding the development of primary health care centres and as such it will be of interest to those working in, engaging with, and studying the primary health care property market.