How to get started

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.

Image of people in a room at a Digital First Primary Care programme event
Two members of staff discussing work at a laptop computer in a GP surgery. AdobeStock_385944076 from Adobe stock photos from https://stock.adobe.com/uk/

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

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

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

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, DFPC Programme

Agreeing intent