Why Does My PCN Need a Website?

PCN’s are a significant reform to General Practice. The integration of primary care with community services, as well as managing the relationship between general practice and ICS’s, is a complicated undertaking. Most patients will have little understanding of the changes but have a keen interest in receiving care that is more joined up and accessible. A website can help explain what these changes mean locally and build participation from patients and other stakeholders.

The speed of change, combined with the pandemic, can be exhausting. Having a website, preferably one where little effort is involved in keeping it up to date, helps to explain all the changes and provides a reference guide of services and opportunities. It also provides a single point of entry to services, reducing the demands on front line staff.

PCN geographies are based on sensible neighborhoods, they do not necessarily follow existing service boundaries. A website helps patients to readily see the geography of your PCN and the locations of different services. It also provides the most efficient way to communicate changes with patients and stakeholders, without the need to repeat information on individual practice sites.

A PCN website can also be used to bring staff together and to channel learning and best practice across primary care. It provides an anchor and an identity for newly appointed PCN staff, helping them to drive forward with their roles and quickly make a positive impact. A staff database within the site helps patients to find out about who is involved and helps them to engage with the new staff roles.

As PCNs continue to evolve ways of working in collaboration, a website is a great way to communicate new ways of working to your partners and the local community. It helps to portray your shared vision and direction.

At Help2Change CIC, our many years experience of working in primary care helps us to understand what difference a good PCN website can make. We have therefore chosen to offer a fully developed site for FREE to all PCNs who want one. We are a not-for-profit company with the sole aim of supporting PCNs to improve population health and ease the workload in general practice.

We offer a fast and efficient service which requires minimal effort from the PCN, with custom sites made available within 5 working days with patient ready content included. There are no development or set up costs, the site is FREE, you only pay for Cloud hosting with no long contracts. We do offer a valued content updating service to help busy PCNs struggling with capacity, which is proving popular.

Help2Change CIC are currently supporting PCNs with websites across Durham, Tyne & Wear, Greater Manchester, West & South Yorkshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Greater London, Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and Somerset.

If you would like more information please contact me at Help2Change CIC or you can find me on LinkedIn.

Gemma Griffiths
Chief Executive – Help2Change CIC