The regional NHS England North East and Yorkshire team has set out to increase patient understanding of the different roles in general practice through a multimedia campaign.
Launched last year in collaboration with the regional primary care team, the Meet your General Practice team campaign aimed to boost awareness of what each person working in a surgery does and the service/care they provide, so patients can get more out of their experience when accessing care.
The initiative includes summaries of roles including receptionists, paramedic practitioners, practice nurses, care coordinators, pharmacy technicians, health and wellbeing coaches, social prescribing link workers and physiotherapists, and more. Each summary familiarises patients with what the different jobs do, and highlights what they are trained to do and exactly how they help patients. For example, it explains that a paramedic practitioner can attend home visits on behalf of a GP practice, assesses and treating health conditions and can orders tests and interpret results.
The campaign has been promoted across social media channels, with videos and posters to promote each primary care role.
A spokesperson from NHS England North East and Yorkshire said: ‘The campaign has delivered some really positive results across our online channels and has been supported by well over 50 different organisations, including GP practices, primary care networks and NHS trusts. It also has the potential to be added to it and expand upon in the future.
‘We’ve rolled it out in a largely organic way and it’s been positive to see that it has found its way to many parts of the local health system –we’ve been approached by clinicians who’d like to see their own role feature on the page – for example a dietitian.’
Last year, a PCN strategic lead told Management in Practice that a lack of clinical support and feelings of isolation were contributing to lower retention of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme staff in general practice.
Yuen Toh, who is also a PCN lead senior pharmacist at Apex Primary Care Network, said ensuring staff were welcomed and that their role and expectations for their job were understood would make a big difference.
