Country Correspondents: Partha Das and Roosa Tikkanen
British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced a GBP 3.5 billion (USD 4.6 billion) funding boost for primary and community health care by 2023–24. To reduce avoidable hospital admissions, some of these funds will be channeled toward rapid-response teams made up of doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists. These teams, available 24/7, provide urgent care and support in the community as an alternative to hospital care. Further initiatives include measures to help hospitalized patients return home sooner and a national rollout of a successful pilot in which health care teams were assigned to care home residents. The announcement was made as part of the Long Term Plan for the National Health Service, touted as the largest-ever funding boost for the British health system.