Primary Care Network

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Why a Primary Care Network?

A new GP contract was published in early 2019 as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. A key part of this was the development of PCNs. This brings GP practices together with other local services - such as community, mental health, social care and the voluntary sector - to look after local people. PCNs help to join up services at a local level, focusing on the needs of their communities, with patients still accessing routine GP appointments as they have before.

Our PCN services, working for you

As a PCN, we can offer patients access to much more than just GP and nurse appointments. The PCN can help you see paramedics, physiotherapists, mental health support, and social prescribers - all within your GP practice. Our GP practice reception staff can help you make these appointments, or your GP may suggest a referral to one of our additional roles see link for further details: NHS England - Additional roles: A quick reference summary.

Physiotherapists:

Our PCN First Contact Practitioner physiotherapists are the first point of contact for patients presenting with a bone, joint or muscular condition, without having to see a GP. They are able to help, diagnose and work together with you on a plan to manage your health needs.

Social Prescribers:

The PCN works with local organisation Together Co, to give patients access to social prescribing. Social Prescribing is a (non-medical) service that aims to help people improve their health and wellbeing. It can help support a variety of social, emotional and practical needs, and sign-post to local resources and other services that will help meet these needs, including peer and community groups, courses, activities, information, social connections, as well as other healthcare services.

PCN Mental Health Team:

Our PCN mental health team is available to any patients registered with any of our PCN GP practices. We have one Mental Health Practitioner, and three Mental Health Support Co-ordinators. They can help with a range of mental health needs and challenges.

PCN Pharmacists:

Our pharmacy team work across our PCN GP practices, providing direct patient care face to face or remotely. They provide face to face and telephone structured medication reviews, long term condition clinics such as asthma, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension). They also offer post hospital discharge reviews, and are on hand in the surgery to help with prescription queries and medication queries from patients and clinicians.

Paramedic:

Our PCN Paramedics can support patients in responding to on the day demand by offering telephone triage or undertaking home visiting for urgent assessment. They can also support practices to improve access to care by managing minor ailments and seeing patients in care homes.

Occupational Therapist

Our PCN Occupational therapist support patients with problems resulting from physical, mental, social, or developmental difficulties & provide interventions that help people find ways to continue with everyday activities that are important to them. Occupational therapists help to support patients who are frail, with complex needs, live with chronic physical or mental health conditions and need rehabilitation so they can continue with daily activities.

Physicians associate

Our PCN Physician associates are healthcare professionals, with a generalist clinical education, who work alongside GPs to provide care for patients. They can provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking and clinical assessment through to diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation. Whilst physician associates currently do not have prescribing rights prescribe, they can prepare prescriptions for GPs to sign.