Primary Care Network Support
‘Small enough to care, large enough to cope’, PCNs are based around populations of between 30,000 to 50,000 people.
Essentially, PCNs bring GP practices together with their community service partners to work at scale in order to:
- Improve their resilience
- Improve their ability to recruit and retain staff
- Improve their ability to manage financial and estates pressures
- Enable a larger range of services to be provided to patients
- Integrate more easily with the wider health and care system
Herefordshire General Practice comprises five Primary Care Networks (PCN), between them caring for more than 200,000 patients. To find out more about each PCN, please explore the links below.
Additional PCN Roles
The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) enables additional workforce capacity to be built at Primary Care Network level. Examples of the roles currently being supported by Taurus Healthcare are shown below.
Care Coordinators
Care Coordinators offer a single point of contact to enable a joined up approach to the most effective patient care. They have many any specialisms, for example Safeguarding Care Coordinator, Wellbeing Coordinator, Care Home Coordinator, so their exact role will vary from PCN to PCN.
Clinical Pharmacists
Clinical Pharmacists aim to improve the value of 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.
Dietitians
Dietitians work with patients to provide practical guidance on diet and nutrition. They aim to promote good health and prevent disease in individuals and communities.
First Contact Practitioner Paramedic
First Contact Practitioner Paramedics support patients with home visits for minor illnesses and urgent care needs. They work closely with GPs to decide the most effective course of treatment for patients.
First Contact Practitioner Physiotherapists
First Contact Practitioner Physiotherapists support patients who have musculoskeletal issues and problems. This can either be following a referral from the GP or independently following patient self-referral.
Health and Wellbeing Coach
Health and Wellbeing Coaches help patients to identify what motivates them and to find ways in which they can make choices to follow a healthier lifestyle.
Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy Technicians are essential to the smooth running of pharmacies. They undertake many functions and their exact duties will vary from surgery to surgery. Typical tasks include medicines reconciliations, responding to patients' queries about medicines-related topics and providing support to manage medicines budgets.
Physician Associates
Physician Associates work alongside doctors and other healthcare professionals to provide medical care as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Social Prescribers
Social Prescribers give patients access to non-medical support within their local communities in a personalised and flexible way. The service helps patients to take control of their lives and to focus on what matters to them.
Support for Care Homes
Ensuring that residents in our care homes receive coordinated, patient-centred care. Each PCN has nursing, pharmacy and care coordination staff working in tandem with care home providers to oversee a joined-up approach to supporting our residents.
Wellbeing Occupational Therapists
Wellbeing Occupational Therapists work with patients to manage changes in their health and independence.
They support some of the most vulnerable patients and their carers to optimise their health.