Podcast – Sian Stanley – Can General Practice Lead System Transformation?

Podcast – Sian Stanley – Can General Practice Lead System Transformation?

From The General Practice Podcast by Ben Gowland

May 18, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

Dr Sian Stanley discusses the role of general practice in system transformation and urgent care.

In this episode of the General Practice Podcast, Ben is joined by Dr Sian Stanley, GP Partner, PCN Clinical Director and Health System Transformation Leader to explore how general practice can play a central role in reshaping urgent and community care. Sian shares the story behind a GP-led urgent treatment centre collaborative in West Essex, bringing together primary care, community services, the acute trust and wider system partners to redesign patient flow and reinvest savings back into local services. This is a fascinating discussion about practical system leadership, collaboration, and the future role of general practice in NHS transformation. Introduction (0:09) Tell us about your roles (0:23) Tell us about the urgent treatment centre and why it’s unusual for primary care to lead it (1:38) How does the funding and profit-sharing work within the collaborative? (3:27) Is the hospital involved in the collaborative? (4:42) How does making “left shift” tangible help bring practices on board? (6:15) Is it difficult balancing system leadership with representing practices? (7:16) How do you reassure practices and keep them engaged? (7:50) What is the relationship…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Gowland

Guest: Dr Sian Stanley

Topics covered

  • general practice
  • system transformation
  • urgent care
  • community services
  • collaboration
  • NHS

Keywords

  • general practice
  • system leadership
  • urgent treatment centre
  • community care
  • NHS transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NHS

Places: West Essex

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