Improving GP appointment availability for all

Five networks will exist in Doncaster, providing services for similar numbers of patients:

• North primary care network
• South primary care network
• East primary care network
• Central primary care network
• 4Doncaster primary care network.

NHS Long Term Plan

Primary care networks are a key feature of the NHS Long Term Plan and will build support the development of proactive, personalised, coordinated and more integrated health and social care services.

Health and care professionals commonly describe this as a change from reactively providing appointments to proactively caring for the people and communities they serve.

Extended Access

Patients are not likely to notice much of a difference at first to the care they receive as care in Doncaster is already provided in a way that aligns with the formation of primary care networks. An example of this was the roll out of the Extended Access service in 2018, led by Primary Care Doncaster which provided and will continue to provide extra appointments for patients that could not easily access GP or nurse appointments during working hours.

Appointment availability

A key feature of practices coming together as part of a primary care network means that every patient registered at those practices will now be able to access appointments early in the morning, later in the evening, as well as making use of those practices that open at weekends. It doesn’t mean that every single practice will open earlier and close later, it means that a number of practices within each network will be able to offer these appointments to all patients across the network.

Clinical director

Each primary care network has a Clinical Director, responsible for the smooth running of their network. The Clinical Director will also ensure that primary care services in their network are providing services that improve the health and wellbeing of patients.

The formation of the five networks in Doncaster also brings considerable funding to primary care services across the borough.

Clinical Pharmacist

Each primary care network in Doncaster now has the ability to employ a Clinical Pharmacist. They will support all practices in their network and are highly qualified experts in medicines that can help people in a range of different ways. This includes carrying out structured medication reviews for patients with ongoing health problems and improving patient safety, outcomes and value through a person-centred approach.

The introduction of Clinical Pharmacists in each network will support GPs to focus their skills where they are most needed, such as diagnosing and treating patients with more complex conditions. This will ultimately help GPs to manage the demands on their time.

Social Prescribing Lead

Each primary care network in Doncaster will also be able to have a dedicated Social Prescribing Lead which will ultimately help patient’s live fitter, healthier lives and combat anxiety, loneliness and depression.

One of the key reasons for investing in social prescribing is to provide help and support for people at the right time and right place, leading to a potential reduction in the use of NHS services, including GP attendances.

Health and care commissioning strategy

In January and February this year, as part of the development of Doncaster’s first joint health and social care commissioning strategy, we engaged with almost 800 people to seek their view on how Doncaster CCG and Doncaster Council should plan services together. As part of this exercise, primary care networks were used as an example to highlight how the health and care landscape is changing and how primary care services are working to empower and support more patients to take control over their own health and care needs.

Primary care networks will continue to develop at pace and over the next four years, developing in partnership with patients, members of the public and local organisations. A number of additional roles will be added to each network; these include:

• First contact Physiotherapists
• Physician Associates and
• Community paramedics.