Practice managers rate PCNs a success for patients

Half of practice managers have rated PCNs as being successful in increasing patient access as well as improving their care.

However, a survey also shows they are fairly split about whether PCNs should continue at all, with 41% in favour and 33% saying they should be scrapped. And only a third think that the introduction of PCN managers has had a positive impact on their job.

The findings, published in a Pulse PCN report, have provided insight into the views of both practice and PCN managers on the progress of networks, which were created five years ago.

A total of 231 practice managers and 21 PCN managers responded to questions that asked them to rate how successful PCNs have been in terms of improving patient outcomes and capacity but also about the evolving relationship between PCN and practice managers.

Practice managers seem most positive about PCNs improving patient access – the biggest group, 52%, rated this as being a successful outcome of their PCN’s work.

Meanwhile, 50% said they thought recruitment and retention of ARRS roles at their PCN was successful, 49% said improving care for patients and 48%, improving joint working.

They were least convinced PCNs has been successful in improving health inequalities, on bringing about digital transformation and freeing up GPs time (see graph below).

As one respondent pointed out, ‘How can PCNs be graded on freeing up GP time when activity has increased by 25% at least?’

Meanwhile, practice managers also seem uncertain about the impact of the PCN manager role. Only 35% said this new managerial job has had a positive impact on their own job, with 28% disagreeing and 34% remaining neutral (see also graph below).

A quarter (26%) admitted it that the introduction of PCN managers has made their job harder while just a slightly higher proportion, 33%, said that wasn’t the case.

On an optimistic note, 57% of practice manager respondents said PCNs have increased collaboration between the managers in their own network (compared with 20% who disagreed ). Though these findings weren’t replicated when it came to collaboration between practice managers outside their PCN – only 19% agreed PCNs had improved this, compared with 46% who indicated this wasn’t the case.

Robyn Clark, director of the Institute for General Practice Management and managing partner at Kingswood Medical Practice, Bristol, said: ‘I think what these figures demonstrate is less about the role of the PCN manager and more about PCNs as a whole. There are many PCNs in the country that work well together and that have done some really innovative and collaborative work, but there are also many PCNs that have been unable to achieve the same for a variety of reasons.

‘Likewise, the role of the PCN manager may have been well integrated with practices in areas where the PCN is working well, but perhaps less so in areas where this has not been the case.’

The full report The State of Primary Care: A PCN Evaluation includes analysis of more than 1,700 responses from PCN clinical directors, GPs, nurses, pharmacists and others. To read it in full see here.

A version of this story was first published on our sister title Management in Practice.