Sample PCN – Storyline

Enabling us to offer you a better service.

A doctor’s time has undoubtedly become more squeezed in recent years, with pressure to deliver additional service requirements, less time to interact with Patients and colleagues, as well as limited time for learning and reflection.

Primary Care Networks will provide the structure and funding for services to be developed locally, in response to the needs of the patients they serve.

Your local Primary Care Network (P.C.N) will typically be serving communities of around 30,000 to 50,000 patients and will be located across the whole of England. They will be small enough to be able to offer personal care to both the patient and healthcare professionals alike. There will be a much better formed collaboration between general practices and other essential local health and social care services including community Pharmacies. This in turn should lead to better services for patients and help modernise and improve care.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Jones

Introduction to Primary Care Networks (PCN’s)

In all areas of the N.H.S. we strive to create products that are customer focused and thrive on providing the very best in factual content.

Digital communication is now fundamental to any communication strategy. It offers the opportunity to interact directly with our audiences, often in real-time, in highly innovative and engaging ways.

We hope you find this platform informative, easy to comprehend and visually stimulating.

If you require information in any other format please do not hesitate to contact your local practise.

What are PCN’S?

In short a Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of local General Practices that work as a networking group, sharing staff and in general collaborating while still maintaining the independence of the individual practices.

It is known that there is likely going to be around 1,300 Primary care Networks (PCN’S) operating across England. The average practice size at present is just over 8,000 residents, however if a practice has a registered list of over 30,000 they can register automatically as a PCN. Where possible GP Practices will amalgamate to generate the 30-50,000 required to be registered as a PCN.

What will they do?

The new GP contract (The NHS Long Term Plan) is designed to deliver commitments made in this plan. It will be the role of the Primary Care Network (PCN) to become the key vehicle in delivering these improvements. Once they are formed the PCN Networks will have the responsibility for delivering seven national service specifications set out in the contract, and in return new funding will be fourth coming. The specifications are as follows;

Structured Medicines Review.

Enhanced Health in Care Homes.

Anticipatory Care.

Personalised Care.

Supporting early Cancer Diagnosis.

Cardiovascular disease, prevention and diagnosis.

Tackling neighbourhood inequalities.

Groups of GP Practices working together as a network will have a designated single bank account through which all funding will flow. NHS England has calculated that by 2023/24 a typical network covering 50,000 people will receive up to £1.47m with a PCN network contracts in place.

ADDITIONAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE ROLES

Your Primary Care Network (PCN) will first and foremost draw on the expertise of existing staff already employed by their constituent practices. However your PCN will receive funding to employ Additional Roles where required. This is where most of the allocated funding provided will be spent. The health and social services sourced will differ from each PCN dependent on the budget allocated to that PCN and the additional health and social care roles required.

This scheme is known as the;

Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme or “ARRS” for short.

In general the roles sourced will be Clinical Pharmacies (2019) Social prescribing Link Working (2019 cost already covered 100%) Physician Associates (2020) Physiotherapists (2020) Paramedics (2021) but as previously mentioned the PCN’S will have the flexibility to choose which staff they wish to employ dependent on the requirements and needs of the local area.

Here is a list of patient Health and social care services that maybe sourced if required.

brainstorming

hands-people-friends

three-person-looking-at-x-ray-result

How will it benefit the Patient?

Here are some of the major benefits and reasons why Primary Care Networks (P.C.N’S.) are being introduced.

Patients will receive;

*Longer GP consultations, up to 20 minutes where patients need them.

* Same day appointments with the right health professional to meet patients needs, this maybe a GP, but could also be a nurse, pharmacist, paramedic or physician associate.

* Patients being referred directly into other services including dental, pharmacy, eye health and community or voluntary services by their practice.

* Greater access to telephone, online or video consultations with a health professional and opportunities to take part in group consultations.

* Online access to health advice and information via websites and apps to help patients manage their own health.

* Technology to help people live independently at home for as long as possible.

* The opportunity for patients to be more involved in their own care and have a greater say in local health services and how these are delivered.

In short this new and exciting way of working enables health and other services to work together to provide better access for patients.

doctor-sitting-in-front-of-his-desk