In establishing the DFPC Programme, the team worked closely with two primary care networks (PCNs) in Greater Manchester to try and understand the operational and patient service benefits associated with digital transformation.
Working with two PCNs with differing levels of digital maturity and capabilities, was important in informing the DPFC strategy. These pilots gave valuable insight into the journey and essential steps in digital transformation.
Insert graphic to illustrate the 5 steps
Agree intent
This is crucial at the start of the journey.
Take time to understand the operating models of the PCNs, federations or collaboratives you work with
Remember that everyone has emotional, corporate and financial investment in their operational models.
Consider the buy-in and governance structures of the primary care organisations you work with
Keep checking understanding and buy in throughout the process; use workshops to explain the project goals and progress throughout
Make sure individual participants keep their organisations and boards updated
Funding (Health check)
Funding is a huge challenge for PCNs
Be clear about what is on offer and what is expected in return
Set out a clear project funding policy with expected outcomes, payment mechanisms, timescales and memorandums of understanding
Ensure you take time to understand what your financial teams need to make payments on time
Understanding motivations (Preparing for change)
Not everyone understands or is motivated by digital change
Ensure the change feels real and tangible for key stakeholders and staff
Articulate how the change will lead to patient benefits
Champions and sponsors help to create buy in among staff, as introducing change requires a relatively stable workforce
Digital inclusion ()
Digital inclusion must be fundamental in all developments
Ensure the effective use of data to support digital inclusion, such as utilising the Digital Exclusion Risk Index (DERI) tool
Understand the drivers of digital exclusion in our region and support working with local authority partners to improve inclusion
As with all transformation, it is about people and understanding their needs
Understanding people (The patient journey)
Digital transformation is not just about using the latest digital tools to deliver primary care. As with all transformation, it is about people and understanding their needs.
Focus on how we can provide safe and effective services with excellent user and provider experience
It’s vital that we utilise and support primary care provider collaboratives, allowing providers to come together and collaborate with the system on future innovation
Stakeholders within integrated care systems must work collaboratively to keep pace with digital developments in primary care
Championing successful innovations and work on scaling and spreading these will ensure that primary care continues to drive forward and ‘keep up’ with the inevitable challenges that we will be met with in the future
The Toolkit
As part of the DFPC programme a toolkit was developed to give Primary Care leaders cohesive and practical support in the design and implementation of a sound patient gateway to care, collaborative working through PCN Hubs and achieve optimal website presence.
Designed to help Practice managers, Digital Facilitators and Primary Care Managers with the deployment of similar patient access projects, the toolkit draws on the experience gained during implementation phase of Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership’s Lighthouse Project, which worked with a selection of networks to improve digital access.
This website allows visitors to download the toolkit in its entirety and helps to guide users through the journey in digestible sections, providing downloadable assets and signposts to other resources where required.
We are not there yet in Greater Manchester, but I am quietly confident that by continuing our collaborative approach, we can strive to implement digital transformation that will support our primary care system to thrive for the benefit of both patients and the workforce.
Dr Chris Nortcliff,
