With the deadline for practices to join a Primary Care Network (PCN) fast approaching, Arden & GEM’s service transformation team is working with practices and federations to support the start of this journey.
Whether you need support to get PCN agreements in place, a trusted advisor to review your current thinking, or expertise to turn your strategy into reality – our primary care experts can help.
Working in partnership with Capsticks and clinical director for the national primary care homes project, Professor James Kingsland, we bring together a unique blend of knowledge and expertise, informed by first-hand experience of designing and implementing collaborative models within health and social care. While we recognise that individual circumstances, and local context, require a tailored approach, we have developed a modular framework that can support practices and networks develop a vision for local primary care, agree organisational form and become operational.
To maximise efficiency and focus attention where it’s most needed, we can work with PCNs to undertake an independent assessment of the decisions, processes and documentation prepared to date, to highlight gaps and focus on key priorities:
- Governance structure – navigating discussions with a focus on the new GP contract.
- Contracts and agreements – optimising the funding available to PCNs and defining the roles, responsibilities and expectations for each organisation within the network.
- Workforce – working out how organisations can make best use of their existing skills and experience and what new workforce models should be considered.
- Integrated care – enabling primary care to transform services and play a key role in designing systems which deliver best benefit for patients.
We recognise that this is just the start of the journey of transformation. Once practices have gone through the process of establishing networks and completing the agreement, attention will need to shift onto how the network will truly function. Alongside a focus on leadership and culture development, we can work with networks to consider what relationships have been built, how data is being used to inform decisions, how digital technology is being harnessed and how to move towards a population health approach. We can also help to identify further opportunities within the context of system improvement and transformation.
With a wealth of strategic and operational experience, we can help PCNs move from design and development through to implementation of a joined up model of care for the benefit of local patients.
To find out more, email us at contact.ardengem@nhs.net