Outpatient care strategy

The RCP and NHS England’s Outpatient Recovery and Transformation Programme are jointly working to develop a new strategy for outpatient care, setting out new ambitions for outpatient care and the actions we need to take to deliver real change.

Share your thoughts

Help us design a new strategy for the future of outpatient care by completing this short survey. 

Share your thoughts

Watch: The Patients Association - Outpatient Experiences

The Patients Association is an independent patient charity campaigning for improvements in health and social care for patients. In this video outpatients talk about their recent experience as an outpatient.

Further resources on outpatient care

GPSC working better together 2023

This report unveils a wealth of local initiatives that transform the way staff in the hospital and general practice are working together for the benefit of patients and for each other.

GPSC Working Better Together

Clinically-led specialty outpatient guidance

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and Outpatient Recovery and Transformation Programme (OPRT) teams have produced this guide which outlines actions services can take to tackle escalating demand for outpatient appointments.

Clinically led specialty outpatient guide April 2023

Engineering Better Outpatient Services

The Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership (SHHCP) invited the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to work with them to help clarify the needs of patients, staff and the systems that support and deliver local outpatient services.

Engineering Better Outpatient Services Surrey Heartlands

Modern outpatient care

The RCP's updated principles and recommendations are a clinical framework for service planning and delivery in the context of the difficult UK national health landscape.

Modern Outpatient Care

Next steps for integrating primary care: Fuller Stocktake report

This is the final report of the stocktake undertaken by Dr Claire Fuller, Chief Executive-designate Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System and GP on integrated primary care. 

Next Steps For Integrating Primary Care Fuller Stocktake Report

Rebuilding the NHS

In this document, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) set out principles and recommendations for the reset. We hope they will help integrated care systems and/or the organisations that comprise them. 

Rebuilding The NHS Policy Outpatients 2020