The NHS is constantly changing to try and meet the increasing challenges of providing healthcare to the population. General Practice also known as primary care has a significant part to play in the way healthcare services are offered and delivered.

All GP Practices are being asked to join with neighbouring practices to form clusters which are being called Primary Care Networks. These networks are made up of GP practices that are close to one another in location to make a total network population of between 30,000 and 50,000 patients.

This does not mean that these practices will be merging together, more that they will become the centres around which other NHS services will be wrapped, such as district nurses and social care.

So what does this mean for you as our patient and the practice you are registered with?

Four practices in our area, namely this one, Grafton Road Surgery, Hobs Moat Medical Centre and St Margaret’s Medical Practice are working together to form a Primary Care Network. We hope that by working more closely together with each other and the services that we all rely on to support our work, we will be able to jointly deliver an improved service to you, our patient.

Our Primary Care Network has been approved by our local Clinical Commissioning Group and we have appointed a clinical director (Dr Vicky Matiopoulou) to help our network focus on areas for improvement, and act as a link to the other Primary Care Networks in the area, the local hospitals, Health Watch, Solihull Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group. This will help us to influence how health and social care is delivered to our joint population.

One of the most important and hopefully noticeable improvements for you will be the creation of more extended hour’s appointments available outside of the usual Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm. This builds on the already very successful extended access hub which works out of Richmond Medical Centre Practice. In future, we hope to be able to offer a different range of appointments not just face to face but some telephone consultations as well as we know it can be difficult to have a discussion with your GP during the work day and possibly, on line.

This is part of the NHS long term plan for how care should be delivered to communities. Your Practice and its primary care network are committed to keeping you informed along every step of the way, so when we have more information or news, we will let you know.

In the meantime, if you would like to know more, you can always ask to speak to your practice manager. Listed below are the new roles that help our practices offer more appointments and continuity of care.

Primary Care Network roles working in general practice:

Clinical Pharmacists

This role can improve value and outcomes from medicines and consult with and treat patients directly.  This includes providing extra help to manage long-term conditions, advice for those on multiple medicines and better access to health checks.  The role is pivotal to improving the quality of care and ensuring patient safety.

What can clinical pharmacists help with – prescribing, medication reviews, queries about medications, telephone reviews, treatment of minor illnesses, managing a patient’s condition holistically, ensuring patients get the most out of their medication, ensuring there is joined-up care for patients

Having clinical pharmacists in GP practices means that GPs can focus their skills where they are most needed, for example on diagnosing and treating patients with more complex conditions.  This helps GPs to manage the demands on their time.

Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementing clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other health care colleagues. The purpose of the role is to lead improvements to maximise safe, cost effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care

What can pharmacy technicians offer - Pharmacy technicians work directly with patients to provide information relating to: repeat prescription management, medication reviews, side effects , dosages , assist with medication queries, health promotion, counselling patients to support them in using their medicines effectively, counselling patients on new or high-risk medication

If a pharmacy technician observes an issue or requires assistance, they typically elevates the concern to the clinical pharmacist for further investigation or advice.

Physicians Associate 

Physician Associates (PAs) are licensed clinicians with a generalist medical education who work alongside Doctors and practice medicine in every specialty. They work under the supervision of a named senior doctor, but can work autonomously with appropriate support.

PAs can handle a wide range of medical tasks, including diagnosing, treating, managing patients and monitoring their progress, helping to reduce the workload for doctors and improve overall efficiency. In addition, they contribute to cost-effective healthcare delivery. PAs can help improve access to care by allowing Practices to offer more appointments and help reduce waiting times for patients. As they work closely with other professionals within the Practice which leads to enhanced patient management and care coordination.

Physician Associates can serve as a bridge between the medical field and the community, allowing them to engage with patients, promote preventative measures and address health inequalities. They tend to take a more holistic approach to patient care and consider the physical, psychological and emotional well-being.

With more appointment availability, patients feel more valued and their confidence in the Practice and service being provided to them increases. In addition, PAs will work closely with patients over time ensuring continuity of care, and a better relationship and understanding of the patients’ needs. With their knowledge they can help educate and empower patients to actively participate in their own healthcare.

Paramedic

They can see a variety of health conditions – from coughs and minor injuries, to more serious conditions such as asthma and heart attacks. They work alongside GPs to help manage routine or urgent appointments, as well as telephone triage (assessment or urgency of illness or injury) and home visits. Paramedics in primary care can also:

• Assess and triage of patients, including same day triage and as appropriate providing definite treatment
• Advise patients on general healthcare and promoting self-management
• perform specialist health checks and reviews, perform and interpret ECG’s, undertake investigatory procedures, and they can even perform a blood test.

If a patient has more complicated problems, paramedics can ask the GP or another specialist to help make an appropriate clinical decision.

Social Prescriber 

Social Prescribing – Sometimes referred to as community referral is a means of enabling GPs, nurses and other health and care professionals to refer to people to a range of local, non-clinical services. Recognising that people’s health is determined primarily by a range of social, economic and environmental factors, social prescribing seeks to address people’s needs in a holistic way. It is also aims to support individuals to take greater control of their own health. 

Social Prescribing schemes can involve a variety of activities which are typically provided by voluntary and community sector organisations. Examples include volunteering, arts activities, group learning, gardening, befriending, cookery, healthy eating advice and a range of sports. 

The role is to help reduce health inequalities by supporting people to unpick complex issues affecting their wellbeing. They enable people to have more control over their lives, develop skills and give their time to others, through involvement in community groups.  

Social prescribing works for a wide range of people, including people: 

1. One or more long-term conditions 
2. Need support with their mental health  
3. Who are lonely or isolated  
4. Have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing 

Social Prescribing is a means of enabling front line healthcare professionals to refer patients to a wide range of non-clinical programmes, services and events in their local community, where they can learn about the possibilities and design their own personalised solutions, ie ‘co-produce’ their ‘social prescription’. It seeks to address a patient's needs across several areas such as physical activity, diet and nutrition, mental health and social support. It is often referred to as a ‘more than medicine’ approach to health and wellbeing as it is considered that many long-term conditions can be helped by lifestyle change alone. 

To support patients to access health care, community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support. They would work (under direction) with the Practice Team to support patients with their health choice, strengthen community and personal resilience, reduce health and wellbeing inequalities by addressing the wider factors of health such as a debt, poor housing, social isolation, poor diet and physical inactivity. They will act within professional boundaries and seek advice or refer to colleagues when appropriate

Care Coordinator

Care coordinators are one of three additional roles under the umbrella of personalised care, with the aim of supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing, using a holistic approach and considering what matters to that individual.

Care Coordinators improve coordination for patients ensuring they receive seamless care and facilitate effective information exchange by providing clearer communication across different healthcare services. Additionally, they can facilitate referrals and ensure timely follow ups. Coordinators work closely with patients to develop personalised care plans and help educate patients on their condition, medications and self-management strategies, resulting in patients feeling more confident and empowered; this in turn can help reduce hospital admissions. Vulnerable patients and those in deprived areas can benefit greatly from Care Coordinators, as they can provide additional support, help address social determinants of health and connect patients with community resources. 

Mental Health Practitioner

Mental Health Practitioners are new roles in primary care that provide GPs and other primary care staff with timely support on the best ways to help people with complex mental health needs. These roles represent an exciting opportunity to provide a brand new kind of support that works across traditional boundaries between services.

Mental Health Practitioners facilitate collaboration between primary care, community mental health services and other relevant agencies. This collaborative approach ensures a coordinated response to patients’ mental health needs. The proactive early intervention improves patient outcomes and helps reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health support. Patients may feel more comfortable discussing their mental health concerns with familiar faces in their regular healthcare environment. 

ANP

Trainee Nursing Associate