Primary care networks (PCNs) build on the core work of current primary care services and enable greater provision of proactive, personalised, coordinated and more integrated health and social care for our communities. They are crucial to the development of integrated care systems (ICSs) and in meeting the ambitions in the NHS Long Term Plan.
Morland House Surgery is part of Thame PCN, along with The Rycote Practice and The Chiltern & The Brook Surgeries.
The aim of the PCNs over the next few years is to expand our clinical team as a network to include pharmacists, social prescribers and paramedics, amongst others. PCNs strive to bring new benefits and better care to patients and their families, with access to:
- Resilient high quality care from local clinicians and health and care professionals, with more services provided out of hospital and closer to home
- A more comprehensive and integrated set of services that anticipate rising demand and support higher levels of self-care
- Appropriate referrals and more ‘one-stop shop’ services, where all a patient’s needs can be met at the same time
- Different care models for different population groups (such as frail older persons, adults with complex needs, children) that are person-centred rather than disease-centred
The networks will provide the structure and funding for services to be developed locally, in response to the needs of the patients they serve.
The PCN structure has been rolled out across the country gradually, therefore there are several case studies from other areas of the UK displaying how successful they can be. You can read more about PCNs on the NHS England website.