Access

Access remains a key driver to supporting sustainability in primary care. Whilst there is a national programme to support general practice and PCNs with access, not every practice or PCN will be accessing support under the national programme but will have capacity and demand pressures. PCC understands no two practices or PCNs support needs will be identical.

We have a range of ‘access support’ available rather than a single offer. Our team will work with practices and PCNs to build their ‘access plan’ informed by their specific needs and available budget. Our approach to delivery is one that supports practices, PCNs and their workforce, delivering support that is:

• At a pace that is right for them,
• Is flexible enabling the support to be flexed as the needs of general practice and PCN change.

Latest news

PCC supporting general practice – access (26 March 2024)
In last week’s newsletter we highlighted a recent report by the Health Foundation which discussed how factors other than supply of appointments affect access. We are hearing from practice teams that although they understand this, supply is still a significant challenge week to week. Practices are trying to make best use of digital tools to improve access, however without healthcare professionals and practice staff being confident and competent using it, new ways cannot be properly embedded or communicated to patients, meaning there is a temptation for staff and patients to revert to old ways of accessing care. We can help you design and embed new ways of working with our hands on support. If you would like to find out more about the support we can provide to practices and primary care networks, contact enquiries@pcc-cic.org.uk or visit https://www.pcc-cic.org.uk/practice-support/.

PCC supporting general practice – access (30 January 2024)
As we continue to highlight the ways that PCC is supporting general practice, this week we are focussing on access and how we can support it through enhanced care navigation and active signposting. It’s important for frontline practice staff to use effective communication to signpost patients with appropriate protocols and processes in place. Asking the right questions to gather the relevant information will reduce the duration of calls and allow staff to answer more incoming calls, thereby improving access. We provide support to practice teams to help them improve their care navigation and active signposting. If you would like to find out more, contact enquiries@pcc-cic.org.uk or visit https://www.pcc-cic.org.uk/practice-support/ to see other ways we can help.