Elisa Berry BA(Hons), BArch(Hons), RIBA, Director and architect at Howarth Litchfield, explains how the Durham-based architecture and interior design practice has been leading work with some of Greater London’s Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in response to the revised NHSE/I PCN Estates Guidance of 2020, which required PCNs to have a PCN Estate Strategy, supported by a PCN Clinical Strategy.
The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) was introduced in England in 2019 to improve access to general practice, and allowed Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to claim reimbursement for the salaries of 17 new roles within the multidisciplinary team – such as paramedics, pharmacists, physicians, and associates etc. The intention of the scheme was to relieve pressure on GPs and improve access for patients, support the delivery of new services, and widen the range of offers available in primary care.
As of 2024, PCNs can appoint up to 20 full-time members of staff. This fits the vision of ‘integrated care’ as set out by the Fuller Stocktake Report, Next steps for integrating primary care (published in May 2022), through ‘streamlining access to care’, and ‘providing more proactive, personalised care with support from a multidisciplinary team’.
However, the report also called for conditions ‘to enable locally led change and the supporting infrastructure to implement it’. There is no funding available to support the PCN estate in accommodating the new appointees – no support for expansion or redevelopment of the estate – and instead, PCNs are expected to accommodate the additional staff within the existing estate. The result is further increasing pressure on an estate that was already at breaking point.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
