Primary care networks (PCNs) have gone down ‘incredibly well’ and are a way to alleviate the workload crisis in general practice, the health secretary has claimed in an exclusive interview with our sister publication Pulse.
Talking about the rising workloads in general practice, Matt Hancock said that networks will allow practices to easily see ‘what best practice looks like’.
He also told Pulse that the upcoming access review will alleviate pressures on general practice, saying that practices that modernise through triage and access ‘tend to have less pressure on staff’.
In the interview, Mr Hancock also said that he was confident that international GPs will be tempted to come to the UK after the Government removes some of the bureaucracy.K
Speaking to Pulse, Mr Hancock said:
- He has turned around declining GP numbers;
- The ‘NHS Visa’ will make it easier for overseas GPs to practise in the UK;
- He is in talks with the Treasury about removing the pensions tax allowance taper, as revealed by Pulse;
- The clinical evidence is there in favour of DNA testing;
- That things are ‘moving in the right direction’ in general practice.
Quick implementation is evidence of PCN enthusiasm
When asked what evidence there was that PCNs have been well received, he said: ‘That’s just what I pick up from my many, many visits to practices and from all the feedback that I get.
‘Also, if you look at the speed with which they were put in place. PCNs were announced in the early part of the year. PCNs were put in place, when they were announced in July, 98% of places already had them in place.
‘I haven’t seen an NHS England policy that has gone from announcement to full implementation in six months for a long time and that shows the level of enthusiasm behind the implementation.’
This article was first published by our sister publication Pulse
