Welcoming Wes Streeting to Penrose Surgery: A Conversation on the Future of Primary Care
We were delighted to welcome Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to our partner site, Penrose Surgery.
During the visit, Wes met with clinical and operational leaders from both Penrose and Hippo, including our CEO, Sachin Gupta. Together, we explored a critical question facing the NHS today:
How do we equip primary care with the software, systems and technology it needs to deliver better, more proactive care — sustainably?
Grounded in frontline reality
The conversation was firmly rooted in the day-to-day realities of general practice. The Penrose team shared their lived experience of delivering care on the front line — the pressures, the opportunities, and the practical challenges of modern primary care.
This grounded perspective is essential. Transforming primary care isn’t just about policy or vision — it’s about what works in real practices, for real patients and clinicians.
The role of digital infrastructure
A key focus of the discussion was the role digital infrastructure can play in supporting primary care to meet growing demand. We explored how the right technology can:
Protect clinical time, allowing clinicians to focus on patient care rather than administrative burden
Improve patient access and outcomes, making it easier for people to get the care they need, when they need it
Enable operational optimisation, helping practices run more efficiently and sustainably
From ambition to implementation
There is clear alignment on the ambition: a more proactive, accessible and resilient primary care system. But real transformation will require more than ambition alone.
It depends on:
Modern, interoperable systems that support rather than hinder care delivery
Aligned policy that enables innovation at scale
Sustained investment in models that are proven to work on the ground
Thank you
We’re grateful to the Penrose team for hosting and for their continued leadership in serving their community. And thank you to Wes Streeting for taking the time to visit, listen, and engage so thoughtfully with the realities of primary care.