PCNs got talent

Last year was a good one for my PCN. After years of trying, we were awarded not one but three awards. One was such a joyous surprise I rather indulged on the vino Blanco prior to the announcement, and I can report that the walk towards the stage felt very long indeed thankfully the acceptance speech wasn’t.

I tell you this not to brag, but because due to this success I was invited to be a judge at this year’s General Practice Awards. I was honoured to be asked and gamely signed myself up for two categories and awaited the entries to appear and prepared to book myself a hotel for the awards night, my reward, a paid for dinner ticket.

When people say there is no such thing as a free lunch, let me tell you that in this instance, they were bang on the money. There were 20 entries in each of the two categories I was asked to judge and as those of you who have entered for an award will know that makes for a lot of paperwork to read.

But as I worked my way through all the entries, I had this increasing sense of pride, the entries were incredible, each and every one. I was struck by how hard some people had worked to make their PCNs and other local services work and thrive, how much had been done for people in local communities through the power of working at scale. I was equally humbled by how teams of people had worked together to create services that have helped, empowered and encompassed patients in their health care journey.

We as GPs have always known that patients’ employment, housing and food have a bigger impact on your health than initiatives such as the NHS health check or the Annual rheumatoid arthritis review. The entries that I was privileged to read all understood the wider determinants of health and worked with other community providers to transform the local health landscape.

There was inevitably a big focus on mental health, and particularly children and young people (CYP) mental health, it is so edifying to see that community providers are recognising this need and acting locally to help provide a solution. I understand the arguments regarding plugging gaps in other services and to some extent I agree but instead of arguing about it now, many places have adopted and do now, argue policy later and this mirrors my own approach.

I know that not all of you will be in PCNs that have been able to achieve the cohesion that is required for such transformation. I hear the BMA trying to undermine the very existence of PCNs and read the comments made by some anonymous GPs after PCN articles are published.

When the awards are announced I would advise you to read what the art of the possible is and with good leadership and a team of the willing, extraordinary things can happen.

There is talent sitting in our PCNs and at their best they are harnessing this to be the heart of the integrated model that is so desperately needed to allow the NHS to survive.

Dr Sian Stanley is clinical director of Stort Valley and Villages PCN, East of England CD Representative, NHS Confederation and a GP partner in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. Read more of her articles here. Profiles of the shortlisted PCNs will feature on Pulse PCN in the run up to the awards night on December 6.