EFPC Commentary in The Lancet Primary Care: Interprofessional Collaboration Key to the Future of Primary Care

The European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC) are calling for a shift towards stronger interprofessional teamwork in primary care to address growing pressures on health systems. Ageing populations, rising healthcare costs, and a shrinking workforce are making it increasingly difficult to ensure accessible, affordable care, particularly for people with complex health and social needs.

In a recent  The Lancet Primary Care commentary, EFPC experts argue that traditional multiprofessional models, where professionals work in parallel roles, are no longer sufficient. Instead, interprofessional collaboration, where different primary care professionals jointly plan and deliver care with patients, can improve access, continuity, patient satisfaction, and the management of chronic conditions.

The EFPC emphasises that effective teams require clear roles, shared responsibility, and organisational structures that allow all professionals, such as nurses, social workers, therapists, and dietitians, to contribute fully according to their expertise.

The commentary also calls for policy reforms, including new performance indicators and payment models that recognise the collective contribution of primary care teams. According to EFPC, achieving equitable, person-centred care depends on building equity between professionals within primary care teams.

The organisation urges policymakers and health systems to strengthen interprofessional collaboration and view primary care as a “learning laboratory” for developing more resilient and equitable models of care.