GPs and PCNs
Conflicts Within Primary Care Networks Are On The Rise – Is Arbitration The Answer?
Disputes are on the rise within the NHS, and we should not be surprised by that. Working under indescribable pressure, crippling staff shortages and ever-increasing workloads are not ingredients usually found within harmonious professional relationships. And there’s no sign of an immediate improvement. The latest data shows GP appointments are still way above pre-pandemic levels,…
Read MoreWhat If Your PCN Is Not Delivering What You Need It To?
We’re at that time of year when GPs, nurses, pharmacists and others start to ask themselves if they are in the right primary care network. PCNs were formally established across England on July 1 2019. They were reshuffled in March 2020, again in 2021 and again in 2022. I’ve no doubt this year some networks…
Read MoreHow do successful Primary Care Networks make their money?
Most of my NHS clients understand they must work out their priorities well in advance in order to attract the most income from the Primary Care Network Direct Enhanced Service (DES) and the Investment and Impact Fund (IIF), which is what I help them to do. In essence, the more indicators – clinical objectives –…
Read MoreThe secret to a thriving GP Practice – and how to take on 8,000 new patients without buckling
It goes without saying that these are really tough times for general practice. Workloads are crippling, recruitment is increasingly difficult and staff morale is rapidly dropping. Practices sinking ever further into the morass often don’t have the time and space they need to think about solutions to these issues – the day-to-day chaos of work…
Read MoreCould GPs Take On More Work? That’s Not As Daft As It Sounds
I’ve written a lot recently about the potential for hospitals to subcontract work to general practice via either the practices themselves, the primary care networks or potentially a GP federation. On the face of it, even the thought of piling more work onto GPs seems preposterous. How on Earth could GPs – already drowning in…
Read MoreWhy isn’t the Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme relieving workload stresses?
I’m hearing a fair bit of criticism at the moment about the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which is part of the Primary Care Network DES (Direct Enhanced Service). The whole idea behind the scheme is to grow additional capacity through new roles, and by doing so, help to solve some of the workforce shortage in…
Read MoreHow Enhanced Access offers fresh opportunity to land your project with time-strapped NHS prospects
An observation I often hear from the Pharma, MedTech and Devices industry is that they present great projects to the NHS only for them to come back with: “I’m really sorry guys, I’ve got five million other things to do, I haven’t got the time to do this.” When I hear the NHS has said…
Read MoreAre Limited Companies The Way Forward For GP Practices?
In one of his last acts before resigning and triggering the series of events leading up to Boris Johnson’s resignation, then-Health Secretary Sajid Javid spoke at the NHS ConfedExpo 2022 in Liverpool. He told delegates the current primary care model of general practice is not working, and he promised a plan for change. How that…
Read MoreAre we crippling the NHS with a cost-based approach to patient care?
In my work, I often see examples of the NHS entirely focusing on the money. If a patient is prescribed a drug that costs £200, but there’s an alternative for £20, all too often, it’s the one for £20 that is dispensed. But that sometimes forgets about the patient on the end of that decision.…
Read MoreLack of a single vision will always damage NHS practice outcomes
The lack of a single vision is, more often than not, the reason why a Primary Care Network (PCN), General Practice, or GP federation is falling short of the expectations of the Membership and the people working within it. Without a coherent voice, we end up in a world of divide and conquer, people within…
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