I wear my #mynameis badge with pride, regardless of all the titles I’ve

had over the years, I’m still Zara, I want people to see that I’m human,
approachable and ordinary. I share that little bit of myself to build that
trust and communication, to show that I’m not a faceless machine.

It’s important that patients and their families know who is caring for
them, it’s as basic as it gets. It’s about being human.

Thank you Kate and Chris for reminding us all of the humanity of care.

In these days of technology and complex care we must never forget that
we are humans caring for humans who need that care. We learn so many
advanced skills, we have to be mindful to not forget the basics,
Introducing ourselves is such a simple act with massive importance. Go
out and introduce yourself with pride, share your individuality, you are
the only person in the world who looks like you with your name. You’re
unique

nursezara Uncategorized Leave a comment Aug 4, 2019 4 Minutes

What is a Primary
Care Network?
From the 1st of July 2019 all Doncaster GP practices became a member
of a primary care network or PCN. Technically a PCN is a group of
practices who will work together to provide more access for patients and
support the provision of proactive, coordinated care alongside other
services such as mental health services and local authority.

Primary care networks were developed nationally as part of the NHS

Long Term Plan and going forward, services can be designed and
implemented to provide for the needs of community that the PCN covers.
This collaborative working style also brings considerable funding to
primary care services across Doncaster.
There are five primary care networks 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.

These groups of practices will work closely together and smaller practices
particularly will benefit from being part of a bigger network.

Patients are unlikely to notice much of a difference at first as care in

Doncaster is already provided in a way that largely aligns with this
formation.

Each primary care network has a Clinical Director who will ensure that
their network is providing services that improve the health and wellbeing
of patients in their area.

One of these clinical directors (Doncaster South PCN) is Ben Scott who is
an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and is a great ambassador for raising the
profile of General Practice Nursing.

Ben said “I am absolutely delighted to have been selected as the Clinical

Director for Doncaster South. The formation of primary care networks in
Doncaster means that we can not only work much more closely together
to provide high quality health and care services, but patients will clearly
benefit too.”

“Primary care networks in Doncaster will empower patients to input

more into the care they receive, as well as having their say on the range
of services that are available across the network.”

“As well as helping to co-design and shape services on offer, patients will
also have access to early morning, late evening and weekend
appointments, with a range of health and care staff tailored to their
needs. This ultimately means we will be able to provide the appropriate
level of care, when and where people need it.”
Each area is different and it’s population will have different needs.
Instead of a blanket offer of care across the borough, PCNs will be able to
individualise their services to best meet the needs of their population.

Each PCN will have the ability to employ staff to work across all
practices. For example, each PCN in Doncaster will be able to employ a
Clinical Pharmacist who will support all practices in their network.
Clinical pharmacists are increasingly working as part of general practice
teams. They are highly qualified experts in medicines and can help
people in a range of 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.

Clinical pharmacists work as part of the general practice team to 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.

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.

Each PCN 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.

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.