We're thrilled to welcome the inspiring Dr. Helen Kingston, a GP and senior partner at Frome Medical Practice, who shares with us her team's unique and effective approach to healthcare that prioritises sustainability. Their journey to green healthcare is quite remarkable, from integrating social prescribing into medical practice to being the first practice to receive the prestigious RCGP Green Impact Gold Plus Award. Ben & Helen explore the extensive collaborative work happening on a community level. And rounding it all off, Helen shares her thoughts on the importance of motivation and the role of networks like the Greener Practice Network in driving sustainability in general practice. Each bit of the episode is packed with valuable insights and practical takeaways on fostering sustainable healthcare practices.
Introduction (0:08)
How it all started (0:40)
Social prescribers prior to PCN’s? (1:52)
Are social subscribers integrated? (2:59)
Capturing the impacts.. (4:37)
RCGP Green Impact Gold Plus Award.. (5:49)
Is team involvement key? (8:00)
Trying something outside Practice with the local community.... (10:42)
What is a community connector? (12:26)
Are they staff? (13:44)
How does it work? (14:05)
Evolution of the patient participation groups? (14:56)
The project.. (15:19)
Measuring the impact of the programme.. (17:34)
Helen’s view on sustainability.. (19:02)
Reflections on collaborative working? (19:48)
Working together.. (21:45)
What’s next? (22:24)
Any advice for people who want to do something in their Practice? (23:27)
Access The UK's primary care sustainability network, Greener Practice here and the toolkit here
Listen back to the previous episode: Terry Kemple, Sustainable general practice here.
For all enquiries about the Ockham podcast, please contact Ben Gowland here.
Joining Ben to discuss how they managed to establish a PCN hub in their area is Dr Aravinth Balachandran, clinical director at Folkestone, Hythe and Rural PCN, Andy Gove, digital transformation manager at the same PCN & Adriana Jimenez, Primary Care Transformation Senior Innovation Access Lead, all with first hand experience in establishing a PCN hub. With the discussion rooted in their experiences, they reflect on the conception of the hub idea and its co-design with practices, demonstrating the importance of collaboration, trust, and relationship-building between practices. The conversation explores the positive effects of online consultations, improved response times, and better access to patient records. In essence, the PCN hub has brought about happier practices and positive feedback from patients.. Don't miss out on these exclusive insights and resources..
Introduction (0:09)
Establishing a PCN Hub.. (01:14)
Did you have a history of collaborative working across the practices? (03:23)
How did you get to a hub as a solution? (03:55)
What is a hub? (05:50)
Initial intentions for the hub.. (06:46)
Enhanced access funding.. (08:52)
Andy’s involvement.. (09:30)
What were the key gaps that you identified? (11:24)
Is all the work fully integrated with the GP records in their own practices? (13:28)
Transforming the digital infrastructure.. (14:53)
Adriana’s involvement.. (15:43)
Resolving the estates issue.. (17:11)
Funding.. (18:30)
Resolving governance issues.. 19:27
Impact the hub has had so far (20:21)
How do you see the hub developer in the future? (24:24)
Accessing further information.. (26:24)
Access the blueprint materials and resources here.
If you’re a PCN embarking on a similar project and would like to get in touch, email the Folkestone, Hythe and Rural PCN leadership team here.
For more information about how the NHS England South East regional office supported this project, please email Adriana Jimenez, Primary Care Transformation Senior Innovation Access Lead, NHS England here.
For all enquiries about the Ockham podcast, please contact Ben Gowland here.
Join us this week, as we navigate the complexities of the new provider selection regime and what it means for general practice with our guest, Ross Clark, a partner at Hemsons. The new provider selection regime, he explains, will allow integrated care boards to award contracts to providers including PCNs, GP provider companies, and federations without a competitive procurement process. Ross discusses the concept of direct award and the selection of suitable providers, which may streamline the merger and acquisition of practices. However, he also explores how these changes may complicate matters for commissioners wanting to switch providers. Alongside this, we discuss exceptions to these processes and their applicability in particular situations. This episode offers invaluable insights on how the new regime will impact practices, PCNs and federations..
Introduction (0:09)
What is the Provider Selection Regime? (1:19)
Thoughts behind the change.. (5:06)
What does this mean in practice? (7:08)
Being awarded the ‘Most Suitable Provider’.. (10:11)
When an APMS contract comes to an end.. (10:41)
Are we starting to see contracts being directly awarded to PCNs? (11:44)
Exceptions to these rules.. (14:01)
Encouraging mergers and PCN level services.. (15:10)
Can the regime work the other way? (16:27)
Impact on GP federations.. (19:27)
A federation of federations.. (21:04)
NHS Guidance updates.. (23:36)
Subcontracting contracts.. (24:21)
Timescales for the Provider Selection Regime.. (26:48)
Access The New Provider Selection Regime here and the Provider Selection Regime Guidance here.
For all enquiries about the Ockham podcast, please contact Ben Gowland here.