First Community Health and Care

16/09/2026

First Community CEO contributes to national AI and proactive care summit

Sarah Tomkins, Chief Executive of First Community, joined healthcare leaders, innovators and technology experts at the AI-Powered Proactive Care Summit hosted by Doccla and Sword, Europe's leading virtual care providers. The event explored how artificial intelligence (AI), digital innovation and new models of care can help health services move from reacting to illness to preventing it.

First Community's Chair, Lorcan Woods, also attended the summit in his capacity as Chair of First Community and Advisor to Doccla, reflecting the organisation's commitment to exploring how innovation can support better outcomes for patients and communities.
Speaking on a panel discussing the future of proactive care, Sarah shared her perspective on the unique role of community services in supporting the NHS ambition to move from treatment to prevention, from hospital to community, and from analogue to digital.

Using a Formula 1 analogy, she described how successful racing teams use real-time data to anticipate issues before they become problems, rather than waiting for failure to occur.

"When I think about proactive care, I think about Formula 1. Success isn't determined by the driver alone, but by an entire team using real-time data to anticipate and prevent problems before they happen.

AI and population health intelligence give us the telemetry to identify who may be heading towards crisis before they get there, but data alone does not improve outcomes. Community services are the pit crew. We are the part of the system closest to people's homes, families, and communities, working alongside primary care, mental health, social care and the voluntary sector to intervene early and keep people well.

To deliver proactivity at meaningful scale, we need to move from managing caseloads to managing populations. Instead of asking who has been referred to us today, we need to ask who in our neighbourhood is most at risk tomorrow and what support could make a difference now.

The future role of community services is not to be faster at responding to crises. It's to be better at preventing them. AI provides the telemetry, neighbourhoods provide the team, community services are the pit crew, and success should be measured by how many people stay healthy, independent and living well for longer."

Sarah highlighted that community healthcare teams are uniquely placed to understand the wider factors that affect health and wellbeing, enabling earlier interventions that can help people maintain independence and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

Reflecting on the event, Sarah said:
"It was a fantastic opportunity to share experiences and learn from colleagues across the sector. The conversations demonstrated a real commitment to harnessing innovation to improve health outcomes while ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety and accessibility for everyone."

Lorcan Woods, Chair of First Community and Advisor to Doccla, said:
"What stood out from the discussions was the shared recognition that technology alone is not the answer. The real opportunity lies in combining innovation with the deep understanding of people and communities that exists across our NHS neighbourhood teams.

Community services are uniquely placed to turn insight into action, helping people stay well, independent and connected to their communities for longer. As we embrace advances in AI and digital healthcare, it is essential that we do so in a way that strengthens, rather than replaces, the human relationships that underpin great care.
Events such as this demonstrate the power of partnership between healthcare providers, patients, communities and technology organisations in creating a more proactive, preventative and sustainable health and care system for the future."

The summit highlighted the growing role that digital technology, population health intelligence, and neighbourhood-based care models will play in transforming health and care services. Through partnerships such as its work with Doccla, including supporting patients to safely monitor heart conditions at home, First Community continues to explore innovative approaches that help people stay well, live independently, and receive care closer to home.

Further information about the event is available on the Doccla AI-Powered Proactive Care Summit.
https://ow.ly/1TNr50ZOglt

11/09/2026

This we are sharing feedback received by our Parkinson's service.

The service provides specialist support for anyone who has a confirmed diagnosis of Parkinson's. To find out more about the service visit our website https://ow.ly/6eba50Z53SB

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08/09/2026

💙 New support for people living with lateral hip pain

Our Physiotherapy team has launched a series of helpful videos designed to support people managing lateral hip pain, offering practical advice, guidance and exercises to help improve symptoms and support recovery.

Whether you're experiencing hip pain yourself or supporting someone who is, these resources can help you better understand the condition and learn ways to manage it.

Watch the videos and find out more 👉 https://www.firstcommunityhealthcare.co.uk/hip-pain

Advice and guidance for hip pain

29/08/2026

Our Minor Injury Unit (MIU) at Caterham Dene Hospital will remain open over the Bank Holiday weekend including Monday from 8am to 8pm and is available for adults and children over the age of 5.

It is a walk-in service and no referral or appointment is required. You can call 111 if you would like to check if the MIU is the most appropriate service for you.

Our MIU provides diagnosis and treatment for a range of conditions 👉 https://ow.ly/CcZF50ZG3MX

Please by choosing the best option for your need. NHS 111 can help if you have an urgent medical problem and are unsure what to do. Always call 999 in an emergency. Both services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

28/08/2026

Mark's life-saving heart transplant: One year on 💜🫶💫

One year after receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Mark is enjoying the simple pleasures many of us take for granted: walking his dog, playing golf, baking cakes, and spending time with family and friends.

Just 18 months ago, however, his future looked very different.

After suffering two heart attacks, Mark's heart function deteriorated significantly and by July 2024 he was referred to First Community's Heart Failure service.

As his condition worsened, Mark received regular support from the community Heart Failure team, including home visits when he was too unwell to attend clinic appointments.

Eventually, he was admitted to East Surrey Hospital where specialists determined that a heart transplant was the only remaining treatment option.

Read more 👉 https://www.firstcommunityhealthcare.co.uk/blogs-news/marks-lifesaving-heart-transplant-one-year-on-2291 and watch the full interview from Mark and Linsey 👇
https://vimeo.com/1216970652?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust NHS Surrey and Sussex NHS Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity

Mark talks about his life-saving heart transplant and the care he received from First Community, East Surrey Hospital and Harefield Hospital. Visit https://www.firstcommunityhealthcare.co.uk/ to read more.

28/08/2026

This we are sharing feedback received by our Urgent Community Response service.

The Urgent Community Response (UCR) team is part of our responsive services who provide urgent intervention to prevent acute hospital admission. Find out more on a website: https://ow.ly/6PFg50Z5c8O

26/08/2026

With the Bank Holiday coming up, it's a good time to check you have enough of any essential medications to get you through the long weekend, when GP surgeries will be closed.

Most surgeries require at least 3 working days, and your local pharmacy may not be able to dispense the medicine straight away depending on how busy they are and what they have in stock, so please plan accordingly.

The NHS App makes it quick and easy to request your medications any time.

20/08/2026

A big thank you to all colleagues who took part in today's wellbeing yoga session 💙🧘‍♀️

The quick 15-minute session provided an opportunity to take some time out from a busy working day, focus on wellbeing, and enjoy gentle movement and relaxation at our multipurpose community health hub at Consort House: https://ow.ly/UyCN50ZBWQM.

It was fantastic to see colleagues taking part and prioritising their health and wellbeing 💜

19/08/2026

We are aware of members of the public receiving calls from a number claiming to be our 101 number. The scammers are then advising members of the public to Google the 01483 571212 number to confirm that this number belongs to Surrey Police, which it does.

Criminals use ‘spoofing’ software to intentionally cover up their real caller ID and instead, mirror the phone number of a legitimate organisation. They do this to make it appear that calls or text messages are coming from a trusted organisation like the police, banks or government agencies.

These scam calls may be automated, or from a real person. Their main goal is to trick you into sharing personal information or to transfer money.

-A police officer will never call out of the blue asking for personal information, including bank account details.
-A police officer will never ask you to withdraw money or purchase high value items as part of an investigation.

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a police officer, take their details and message us, call 101, or use the online chat function on our website to confirm their identity.

You can also use our website to report crime, ask for an update on your investigation, report road traffic collisions, and submit information requests.

In an emergency, always call 999.