MWord 40

20 June 2019

Dear Colleague

I have three items for you today:

Updated word version of PCN Model Schedules – v1.2 – KEEP IT SIMPLE
PCNs - keep focussed on purpose not structures
Our Londonwide LMCs Workforce Survey update

1. Updated word version of PCN Model Schedules – v1.2 – KEEP IT SIMPLE

Last week I talked about taking a simple and straightforward approach to establishing PCNs. We continue to look at the Model Schedules and listen to queries, and the latest revisions are intended to further help your PCNs develop tailored Schedules. This updated version has an additional guide on the appointment and election of the Clinical Director and advice on voting methods and dispute resolution. Remember, it is up to each PCN to take appropriate legal and other relevant specialist advice to ensure the schedules are fit for individual needs. This is an iterative process and changes can be made to Schedules after this date, with the agreement of Members.

Given the pace of change, we will continue to look at the documents and may circulate additional updates next week as information is clarified.

2. PCNs – keep focussed on purpose not structure, as it is so easy to forget that they are supposed to be helping you manage your core workload

I make no apologies for saying again that rather than spending scarce time and resource on elaborate structures and governance, the attention of those in PCNs should be focussed on the following outcomes for practices and patients in accordance with the spirit of the BMA and NHSE agreement:

securing the right workforce balance across the local neighbourhood to support practices to deliver good quality core primary medical services, with
good coordinated wider care for their patients within the local health and care system, and
providing commissioners in STPs/ICSs strong bottom-up direction on how the whole system can support these outcomes.

3. Our Londonwide LMCs Workforce Survey update

It is really important that we continue to make the case for general practice and we rely on you to help us to get that right, and to give us the evidence we need.

Thank you to those who took the time to provide us with this valuable information, including your thoughts on and experiences forming PCNs. If you have opened the survey email, we will leave the link open for a little longer for you to complete your response. You should have received a unique link sent directly to your practice which will show as being from me, via ComRes, with the subject line “Keep us up to date and have your say”. If you haven't seen the original email, or you are having any issues accessing the link, please contact Rory Jackson, who is administering the survey at ComRes: rory.jackson@comresglobal.com with your practice code.

We will be sharing headline results in July.

As ever - please do let me have any views on these issues or others at mword@lmc.org.uk.