Exclusive: PCNs have improved patient care and access, survey finds

Over half of PCN clinical directors (CDs) believe PCNs have improved patient access to primary care, according to an exclusive Pulse PCN survey.

The survey, published in our State of Primary Care: A PCN Evaluation report, found that 57% of the CDs who responded believed their PCN had been successful in improving patient access.

A further 66% said their PCN had improved care for patients, however, the opinion of freeing up GP time was split with 30% saying they had been unsuccessful and 34% saying they had been successful.

The report surveyed over 1,700 healthcare professionals, including GPs, CDs, nurses, pharmacists and practice managers and looked at the impact of PCNs and the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS). Of these, 65 (6%) were clinical directors.

Just over half of CD respondents also said PCNs had been successful in improving health inequalities.

Dr Manraj Barhey, CD at Medics PCN, Luton, Bedfordshire, told Pulse PCN that networks provide a ‘really good opportunity to tackle health inequalities’ and that outcomes had been ‘pretty phenomenal’.

‘There is a lot of hidden need out there,’ he added.

All but 3% of CDs said they would continue with the network DES in 2024/25.

However, one CD in the report said that work being directed to general practice at the current level of funding was economically unviable with practices at ‘immediate threat of collapse’.

Another said they could do even more with ARRS money if there was not ‘so many strings attached’.

‘So much of the ARRS budget has been lost to primary care because it seems to have been almost designed to make it impossible to take full advantage,’ they told Pulse PCN.

It comes after Pulse PCN’s exclusive investigation found that around £45m of ARRS funding was unspent in 2024/25.

To read the full report click here.

The State of Primary Care survey took place between April 29 and May 20 2024 across Pulse PCN and our parent and sister titles, Pulse, Healthcare Leader, Nursing in Practice, The Pharmacist, Management in Practice and Hospital Pharmacy Europe.

There were 1,795 responses from health professionals. The majority – 72% or 1,294 – of respondents work in primary care in England. There were answers from across England with all 42 ICBs represented.