May 31, 20223 min read

Reading The Fuller Stocktake Report | A Guide For PCN Managers

Updated: May 23, 2023

As always, I write my blogs for new Primary Care Network Managers and Clinical Directors.

There is a lot of information to absorb, and following my own advice from the blog titled

7 platforms every Primary Care Network Manager should be subscribed to, I received various emails from my subscriptions which informed me that the NHSE had shared the highly anticipated Next steps for integrating primary care: Fuller stocktake report which has been released.

This is an important document, as it sets the direction for future policy and a vision for integrated Primary Care. The document has been signed by the 42 Chief Executive designates of the Integrated Care Systems, demonstrating their commitment to enabling change.

The document is nice and short. However, before you start reading the report, I have highlighted key resources and 7 key questions to help you better understand and retain the information.

DISCLAIMER – I am not advising you to do all of these steps before picking up the document. Choose what resonates and leave the rest.

Let's get started!

Section 1: Before picking up the document

You may find it helpful to review the following video from the King's fund here. This video sets the scenes for the future of the NHS and how things are changing.

If you only want the highlights, The NHS Confederation has provided A summary of Dr Claire Fuller's report on the next steps for integrating primary care, which can be found here.

I am a massive fan of the eGPlearning YouTube channel and Ben Gowland and like always, they are amongst the first to share their views. Hussain and Andy, who are GPs and PCN Clinical Directors, talk through the report from their lens. The video is 1hr 26mins but what I did was increase the speed of the replay by x 2. After a few minutes, you will get used to it. Ben is a former CCG CEO, Primary Care expert and host of the General Practice Podcast. ,

Section 2: Whilst reading the document

When reading a report like this, it may be helpful for you to approach with the following questions.

Organising your thoughts using the above questions will help you focus and give your reading more purpose.

Here is my take, but you may/ SHOULD see things differently.

Who is the document for?	For health and care leaders and for those with a stake in the NHS moving forward.
What is the document about?	A comprehensive review looking at what is working well, why it’s working well and how we can accelerate the implementation of integrated primary care moving forward.
What key challenges / opportunities are highlighted in the document?	The current model in general practice in many areas isn’t sustainable. Across the system, we need more collaborative working, leadership, funding, premises and infrastructure. Despite the huge increase in appointments, public perception of general practice is low and so is staff retention. The document points towards new ideas for PCNs to consider and for system leaders to proactively shape the future of health and care systems.
Does the document point to best practices and ideas we can build on?	YES! There are boxes throughout the document that point to best practices and new ways of working. I particularly like the integrated clinical pharmacy service in the Wirral on page 7 and the Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire commissioned support to develop an online workforce planning for their PCNs on page 20.
What terms am I not sure of and need to investigate further?	I did look up the definition of an integrated team of teams and found this definition from the Connect Suffolk website. A typical Integrated Neighbourhood Team (INT) will consist of staff from a number of different teams/ professions: social care for adults and children/families, health, police, mental health, district and borough teams, along with the voluntary sector. The staff from these different teams will work together to deliver a number of key objectives. https://www.connectsuffolk.co.uk/faqs/what-are-integrated-neighbourhood-teams/ I did also need to remind myself of what Core20Plus5 is. Core20PLUS5 is a national NHS England and NHS Improvement approach to support the reduction of health inequalities at both the national and system level. The approach defines a target population cohort – the ‘Core20PLUS’ – and identifies ‘5’ focus clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement. Please see the infographic below, and further information can be located here https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/core20plus5/

This framework of questions can be used for reading all reports moving forward adding in other key questions you need to consider.

DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to keep our blogs up to date and the information presented reflects our knowledge at the time of publishing.

What Next?

If you are starting to build your integrated neighbourhood team, I have provided 20 facilitative questions to help you bring together potential partners to discuss what this new partnership could look like: Check out this blog in Pulse PCN. https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/views/pulse-pcn/4-top-tips-for-building-a-team-beyond-the-pcn/

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