The British Dental Association, British Medical Association, Community Pharmacy England, Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee, and the Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers told MPs attending the Moving from Crisis to Recovery event that investment in primary care is needed now to future-proof the NHS.

MPs were warned that if primary care continues to be under-prioritised and underfunded compared with the rest of the NHS and relative to its costs, access and patient health will continue to be put at risk.

The event - which was sponsored by Helen Maguire, Liberal Democrat primary care and cancer spokesperson - was attended by 21 MPs, peers, and their staff present on the day, and many more were in touch before the event.

The trade bodies' four calls to action for Government are:

• Use primary care to prioritise care closer to home and patient choice
• Urgently invest in primary care to future-proof the NHS
• Give primary care a role to shape the future of neighbourhood health services under Government direction
• Improve digital infrastructure and IT connectivity for efficient community care.

Maguire said: ‘I was delighted to sponsor this event and hear directly from organisations across primary care. All of whom underscored an important message: primary care is the front door to our NHS, but is under increasing pressure.

‘The Government must provide comprehensive investment to secure a sustainable future for the NHS and its primary care services.'

MPs are being asked to urge the Government to support these objectives and to take a series of actions to call for direct political intervention to secure a long-term, sustainable future for the primary care sector.