You may have heard your GP practice mention a Primary Care Network (or PCN) but what exactly does that mean?
A Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of neighbouring GP practices that work together with other health and care services to support their local community.
PCNs were introduced across England in 2019 and typically serve communities of around 30,000 to 50,000 people.
What does a Primary Care Network do?
Rather than GP practices always working separately, a PCN allows practices to share resources, staff and services and work more closely with other organisations.
This can include working with:
- GP practices
- Pharmacists
- Mental health services
- Community and social care services
- Hospital services
- Voluntary and community organisations
The aim is to provide more personalised, coordinated and joined-up care closer to home.
What does a PCN mean for patients?
Being part of a PCN can give GP practices more opportunities to share staff and expertise.
For example, your GP practice may be able to connect you with another healthcare professional working across the PCN, such as a clinical pharmacist, physiotherapist or paramedic, depending on the services available locally.
It means that seeing your GP isn't always the only route to getting the care or support you need.
Why were PCNs created?
People are living longer and more people are managing long-term or complex health conditions.
This means patients may need support from several different professionals and services.
PCNs are designed to help those services work together more effectively, while allowing care to remain rooted in local communities.
They also aim to shift some care from simply responding when somebody becomes unwell towards proactively supporting people's health and wellbeing.
Who runs a Primary Care Network?
Each PCN has a Clinical Director, who provides clinical leadership for the network.
Individual GP practices still retain their own identities – a PCN isn't one large GP surgery. Instead, practices work together across their local area to provide and improve services.
How do PCNs fit into the wider NHS?
Think of a PCN as one of the more local parts of the NHS system.
PCNs bring together GP practices and other services at a community level, while larger partnerships such as Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) work across much bigger geographical areas.
So, very simply:
PCN = local GP practices and services working together
ICS = organisations working together across the wider health and care system
You can read more in our NHS Explained guide to Integrated Care Systems.
Where does Healthwatch fit in?
Healthwatch is independent of the NHS. We listen to people's experiences of GP practices and other health and care services to understand what's working well and what could be improved.
Had a recent experience with your GP or another primary care service? Tell Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness.