PCN tool to assess inclusion health has relaunched

An online tool to help PCNs assess their engagement with inclusion health groups has been relaunched, according to an NHS England primary care bulletin.

The self-assessment tool, developed by several voluntary sector organisations including Friends, Families and Travellers and Doctors of the World, enables PCNs to evaluate themselves against 22 inclusion metrics. These include how they use codes, how inclusion health groups feature in patient satisfaction monitoring and if patients can use a GP practice as a care of address.

Once completed, PCNs receive a ‘completely unique’ guide to help tackle health inequalities as a PCN. The guidance includes topics such as responding to diverse communications needs, managing population health and assessing the needs of inclusion health groups.

The tool was initially launched in 2021 but has now been updated with new content and resources, Pulse PCN understands.

Inclusion health groups are those that experience the worst health inequalities in England. They include gypsy, Roma and traveller communities, as well as those who experience homelessness, those with drug and alcohol dependence and vulnerable migrants and refugees.

Advocacy manager at Doctors of the World UK, Marina Davidson, said: ‘The PCN inclusion health self-assessment tool is a useful resource supporting PCNs to consider their progress in designing services that meet the needs of various communities and people experiencing health exclusion.

‘It is an opportunity to assess responsibility and uphold their duty in minimising health inequalities.

‘The tool brings together expertise from a variety of organisations working to advance the rights of inclusion health groups and generates personalised and specific recommendations for each PCN, signposting to relevant resources to support implementation. One of these is our toolkit for PCNs for health and inequalities leads which supports PCNs to sign up to Safe Surgeries and ensure they have inclusive GP registration processes, which is the first step into primary care access for many in the UK.’

There are currently 1,900 safe surgeries, with sign ups on track to reach 2,000 in the next couple of months.

She added that the relaunch of the tool follows the recent publication of NHS England framework for action on inclusion health in October.

This national framework was published to help plan, develop and improve health services to meet the needs of those in these groups.

It emphasised that general practice has an ‘essential role to play’ in addressing inclusion health, and that PCNs are the ‘building blocks of integrated neighbourhood teams’.