Inclusion health in action: how can primary health care really reach everyone?

This article focuses on meeting the primary health care (PHC) needs of people experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage and the interface that inclusion health (IH) populations have with primary care. It presents perspectives from the United Kingdom (UK) but includes universal principles applicable in other settings. It covers what PHC is and what health needs are addressed in primary care settings. Key suggestions are provided for effective practice, such as addressing stigma and providing trauma informed care; and what works in PHC to facilitate healthcare access for IH groups. Additionally, this article describes the multidisciplinary team staff who are important to healthcare delivery for IH groups in primary care, alongside referral pathways and access to the wider acute and social care infrastructure that PHC is the gatekeeper for. It describes contrasting models of care in IH, such as mainstream vs specialist services; outreach vs in-reach; and, vertical vs horizontal care models, and the importance of opportunistic healthcare, social prescribing and the value of the voluntary and charitable sectors in supporting state funded healthcare provision. This article concludes with identifying gaps in PHC that IH groups experience and recommendations for provision developments and the research needed to evidence impact.