The practices operate independently but work together within the PCN to connect with other local practices, voluntary services, mental health services, social care, hospitals and pharmacies.
It is within the best interests of the local population to work collaboratively within these groups to help improve access and ensure a more diverse skill mix through the recruitment of additional roles such as Pharmacists, Paramedics, First Contact Physiotherapists, Health and Wellbeing Coaches and Social Prescribers.
This helps to make sure that patients are seeing the right person, at the right time and are getting the correct support, improving the overall quality of patient care.
The PCN can help with increasing demand on Primary Care through the use of these specialist roles.
- Clinical Pharmacists
- Dietician
- First Contact Practitioners
- GP Assistants
- Health and Well-being Coaches
- Mental Health Practitioners
- Nursing Associates
- Paramedics
- Social Prescribers
- Conducts structured medication reviews (SMRs)
- Independent prescribing/deprescribing
- Provides medication advice to healthcare professionals and patients
- Optimises medication (e.g. antibiotic stewardship)
- Translates medicines national policies into local implementation
- Adopts a whole system approach to medicines management
- Provides specialist dietetics advice to address, for example, diabetes, weight management, food allergies, and coeliac, gastrointestinal or metabolic diseases
- Prescribes medication within scope
- Educates and supports patients
- Assesses, diagnoses, treats and manages musculoskeletal (MSK) problems
- Prescribes medication within scope
- Develops skills relating to injection therapy
- Performs diagnostic investigations
- Signposts/refers to health and care services
- Audits of health and care practice
- Requests/progresses investigations
- Arranges clinical support: referrals, tests and follow-ups
- Conducts simple clinical observations
- Provides administrative support: letters, completing forms for GPs to sign
- Explains procedures to patients
- Uses coaching skills to support people to make conscious and informed health choices, change behaviours and encourage proactive management and prevention of illness.
- Works closely with MDT colleagues, including link workers, to provide access to self-management education, peer support and social prescribing
- Supports adults and older adults with complex mental health needs whose main need is not anxiety or depression (who would be seen in the local NHS Talking Therapies service)
- Ranging from AfC Band 4 to 8a, roles can include but are not limited to: community psychiatric nurse, clinical psychologist, mental health occupational therapist, peer support worker, mental health community connector or other role, as agreed between the PCN and community mental health service provider
- Enables registered nurses to provide care
- Supports and supervises trainee nursing associates (TNAs)
- Performs and records clinical observations
- Supports wound care management
- Promotes health and wellbeing to patients
- Advises and signposts patients
- Maintains health records
- Assesses and triages calls from patients
- Performs home visits for urgent assessment
- Advises and signpost patients
- Supports anticipatory care plans
- Manages minor illness
- Connects people to non-medical community-based activities, groups and services that meet practical, social and emotional needs, including specialist advice services and the arts, physical activity and nature
- Helps people identify issues that affect their health and wellbeing when co-producing a personalised care and support plan