Shifting to the left: moving headache services towards primary care?
This article highlights findings and recommendations from a multidisciplinary roundtable organised by the Neurology Academy and held in Sheffield in October 2025. The event, jointly chaired by Martin Wilson and Sue Thomas, discussed how, in line with recommendations in the UK's 10 year health plan, headache and migraine services need to focus on a ‘shift to the left’ (moving services from secondary and tertiary to primary care). The authors explain how this would enable patients to be managed closer to home, prevent headache-related disability where feasible and enable the majority of patients to be managed in primary care, reserving specialist neurology referrals for only the most complex cases.
Authors
- Siobhan Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7627-3764)
- Martin Wilson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2089-3956)
- Joe Laverty
- Sue Thomas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6628-3328)
- Anne-Marie Logan
- Jeban Ganesalingam
- David Watson
- David Paling
- Susie Lagrata
- Mathew Garrod
- Carla Horricks
- Rob Music
Institutions
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- American Pharmacists Association (US)
- Migraine Trust (GB)
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Walton Centre (GB)
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- NHS Grampian (GB)
- Physiotherapy New Zealand (NZ)
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CA)
- University College London (GB)
- National Patient Safety Foundation (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing
- Published
- 2026-02-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.12968/bjnn.2026.0007
- Primary Topic
- Migraine and Headache Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00