Employers, trainers and educators are coming together for the first Greater Manchester-wide career and jobs fair for general practice, pharmacy, dentistry and optometry.

Primary care services are for most people the first point of contact in the health and care system. Primary care sees services including GP practices, pharmacy, dentistry and optometry working together to provide holistic care to patients and serving the health needs of local communities. Here in Greater Manchester they are vital to our health and care devolution, and are at the heart of changes to deliver better and more connected services in our local communities.

Working in primary care offers a rewarding and varied career; with a broad mix of roles in lots of different settings, a strong sense of team spirit and the opportunity to build meaningful connections with the local community. Working at the forefront of patient care, primary care teams are able to work with patients on a one to one basis, often over a prolonged period of time, creating lasting bonds with patients and their family members or carers.

The event ‘Building a career in primary care’ will have a whole host of stands that highlight the different careers available in primary care; from medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, dentistry, to healthcare assistants, practice managers, wider support roles and many more. There will also be advice on hand on the pathways into the sector – from apprenticeships, to college courses, degrees and further professional development.

Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Find out about different career opportunities
• Hear from the people working in primary care services
• Speak to education and training providers
• Find out how to apply for current vacancies

During the afternoon, attendees can also participate in a number of great talks that will run roughly every half an hour. Topics include: ‘What is Primary Care and what career options are available?’, ‘Integrated Care – What is it? Primary Care Workforce innovations in Tameside’, ‘Dentistry, Optometry and Pharmacy careers’, ‘Developing a career in Practice Nursing’ and ‘Allied Health Professional roles in Primary Care – Physiotherapists, Paramedics, Podiatrists and more’.

The event is organised by Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, the body overseeing devolution of the area’s health and social care budget, with support from colleges, universities, employers and support organisations from across the region.