Agenda item

Presentation by Director of Commissioning, Strategy and Delivery and Clinical Director Darlington Primary Care Network

Karen Hawkins, Director of Commissioning, Strategy and Delivery gave a PowerPoint Presentation to update Members on the Darlington Primary Care Network (PCN) in light of changes to GP contracts.

Details were provided on the five year framework for GP services; that a major change in the GP contracts for 2019/20 was the introduction of the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Services (DES); the focus of the Network Contract DES was to support the establishment of PCNs and the recruitment of new workforce.

It was confirmed that the Network Contract DES would remain in place for the next five years; was subject to annual review and development; and was an extension of the core GP contract offered to all practice. All practices in Darlington had signed up to the Network Agreement which set out the rights and obligations of the contract.

The presentation detailed the core characteristics of a PCN; a strategic view of the PCN’s in the local area; and outlined the Darlington PCN and populations for each practice.

It was reported that whilst the maximum size for a PCN should not exceed 50,000, due to the work undertaken around the Healthy New Towns programme and New Models of Care, a whole town approach was already in place covering the whole population in Darlington although practices would continue to work in neighbourhoods where this is appropriate and it would be a retrograde step to split the network into separate areas.

Details were provided on the DES for 2020/21 and 2021/22; these were under contract negotiation nationally and as such outcomes were still to be identified; and it was confirmed that additional funding was in place to deliver the new DES as agreed in the national contract deal.

Discussion ensued on the number and spread of GP Practices in Darlington and if there were enough. Members were assured that the needs of Darlington residents were being met within the existing practices and there was no requirement for an additional practice to be procured; and that residents in rural areas who were registered with GPs in Durham/DDES would be in receipt of the same services as Darlington residents, as the GP practices in these areas were signed up to the Network Contract DES.

Following a question on information sharing between GPs and hospitals it was confirmed that all GP practices used the same system, SystemOne; working groups were being set up to address the communication issues with primary and secondary care; and that the Network Agreement which had been signed by all GP practices included a data sharing requirement.

Discussion ensued in respect of social prescribing; Members made reference to a previous piece of work undertaken and felt that progress to date had been disappointing; Members were advised that social prescribing link work was nationally mandated and that wellbeing facilitators were already in place which would link in with the social prescribing role. The initial focus was on those with chaotic lives as this was identified as an issue across a number of organisations.

RESOLVED – (a) That the Director of Commissioning, Strategy and Delivery be thanked for the presentation.