A TRAILBLAZING GP practice has shared its innovative methods with doctors all over the world.

Wilmslow Heath Centre attended the United Nations digital health symposium in New York and addressed the General Assembly.

This NHS surgery on Chapel Lane has been at the forefront of digital transformation in primary care for many years and was invited by the UN to recognise their pioneering approach.

The practice believes 'we can fix the NHS' through the use of innovative technologies and moving resources from 'expensive inefficient hospitals' to primary healthcare providers.

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Wilmslow GPs said it was ‘a privilege’ to present alongside global leaders passionate about using technology to tackle healthcare challenges.

The audience included a select group of healthcare leaders, innovators and tech companies from across the world.

The conference focused on how digital health technologies are reshaping healthcare delivery worldwide, from AI to advanced electronic patient record (EPR) systems.

In their presentation, Wilmslow GPs Dr Amar Ahmed and his wife Dr Fari Ahmad discussed three key themes that have driven digital transformation at their practice.

The first is the Wilmslow Triage System, the use of AI-powered ambient scribes and their imminent deployment of a new EPR system – the first in NHS primary care in 25 years.

The Wilmslow Triage System is a digitally enabled triage process that handles patient demand efficiently.

It allows patients to submit symptoms online, which are then reviewed by a clinician to decide on the best course of action, such as a face-to-face appointment, telephone consultation, or advice via text or email.

A combination of modest tech with psychology, this approach has reduced unnecessary appointments, freeing up time for GPs to focus on more complex cases, improving patient satisfaction, and improved psychological safety for our staff.

The system has been widely adopted by other practices across the country, proving its value in modern primary care.

The second of the most transformative technologies the practice has adopted is AI Ambient Scribes.

These digital scribes work in the background during consultations, automatically documenting the interaction between the GP and the patient.

This technology reduces the administrative burden, allowing doctors to be more present with their patients.

It enhances the quality of care, improves the patient experience, and reduces the risk of GP burnout by lessening the cognitive load on clinicians.

Their third exciting development is the imminent deployment of a new EPR system – the first in 25 years.

This system, called Medicus, uses modern cloud architecture and FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) APIs, which allow different healthcare systems to communicate seamlessly.

This system operates like a universal language enabling better data sharing and integration.

The new EPR system promises fewer outages, improved data sharing, and user-friendly access, ultimately enhancing patient care by allowing GPs to make more informed decisions.

The doctors described presenting at the UN as ‘an eye-opening experience’ that reinforced how digital innovation can reshape healthcare worldwide, with primary care at the forefront of this transformation.

One of the central themes of the symposium was the ‘Stay Left, Shift Left, 10x’ approach, which encapsulates the journey practices need to take.

‘Stay Left’ encourages keeping patients within community-based care for as long as possible, while ‘Shift Left’ emphasises moving treatments earlier into primary care settings, aiming for a tenfold improvement in quality, efficiency, and patient outcomes.

However, for this model to truly succeed, GPs say it is crucial that resources also shift from inefficient, expensive secondary care into primary care, the most efficient part of the healthcare system.

By directing funding and support to where it can make the biggest impact, the Wilmslow practice believes primary care to lead the way in building more sustainable and effective health systems, not just in the UK but around the world.

Dr Amar Ahmed said: "We were honoured and humbled to be asked to speak at the General Assembly of The United Nations.

“All over the world, healthcare systems are struggling through overwhelming demand and increasing shortages of doctors.

“There is a global consensus that if healthcare systems are to remain sustainable, we need to shift care more towards prevention and early treatment in community and primary care settings.

“Through the use of innovative technologies and a real movement of resources from expensive inefficient hospitals to primary healthcare providers, we can fix the NHS and empower our patients towards living longer and healthier lives."