A Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of general practices working together with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital and voluntary services in their local area to provide more coordinated health and social care to their registered patients. Typically covering 30,000-50,000 patients, PCNs enable greater provision of proactive, personalised, coordinated and integrated health and social care, and represent a key building block of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Primary Care Networks are funded through the Directed Enhanced Service (DES) contract, which provides several funding streams. These include a core PCN payment of ÂŁ1.50 per registered patient, Clinical Director funding, and the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) which funds new staff roles to expand service capacity. PCNs also receive funding for delivering specific services outlined in the Network Contract DES, such as enhanced health in care homes, structured medication reviews, and early cancer diagnosis initiatives.
Primary Care Networks employ a diverse range of healthcare professionals beyond GPs and practice nurses. Through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, PCNs can recruit clinical pharmacists, social prescribing link workers, physician associates, physiotherapists, paramedics, mental health practitioners, dietitians, podiatrists, occupational therapists, nursing associates, and health and wellbeing coaches. These additional roles help to expand service capacity, provide more specialised care, and reduce pressure on general practitioners while offering patients access to a wider range of health professionals.
Primary Care Networks benefit patients in numerous ways. They provide enhanced accessibility through extended opening hours and a wider range of services closer to home. Patients with complex needs receive more coordinated care through multi-disciplinary teams working together. PCNs offer more personalised care through social prescribing and health coaching, addressing non-medical factors affecting health. They also focus on prevention and early intervention through structured medication reviews, enhanced health in care homes, and early cancer diagnosis initiatives, ultimately creating a more integrated, responsive local healthcare system.
Primary Care Networks form an essential foundation within Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). While PCNs operate at a neighbourhood level (30,000-50,000 patients), ICSs work at a larger regional level across the NHS. PCNs feed into place-based partnerships within ICSs, enabling primary care's voice to be represented in system-wide planning and decision-making. This hierarchical structure allows for coordination between local needs and wider system priorities. PCNs essentially provide the primary care component of ICSs, ensuring general practice is properly integrated with hospitals, community services, mental health, and social care within a comprehensive system approach.
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