Primary Care Network

A PCN is a group of GP practices based in a local community.

Typically it is between 5 to 10 GP practices covering a patient population in excess of 30,000.

You WILL STILL be registered with your GP practice and will continue to access GP services in the usual way.

Our PCN is called Waterside Primary Care Network. It is made up of;

• Devonport Health Centre,
• St Levan Surgery,
• Adelaide Surgery,
• West Hoe Surgery,
• Stoke Surgery,
• Peverell Park Surgery & University Medical Centre
• St Neots Surgery

We have a patient population of Circa 65,0000.

We have 2 Clinical Directors that are practicing GPs to provide leadership and a PCN manager to develop the services we can offer to you, the patient.  

PCNs provide proactive, coordinated care to their patients, in different ways to match different people’s needs, with a strong focus on prevention and personalised care. 

Nothing, however the GP practices in the PCN will work in partnership. This enables patients to access additional health services provided within the PCN GP practices.

You may not notice much change to begin with, but over time you will see a wider range of services becoming available in your GP practice or at another practice within your PCN such as Physiotherapy.

Primary care networks have the potential to benefit patients by offering services earlier or later than our core hours and on weekends. To extend the range of services available to you, to integrate primary care with the wider health and community services.

We are keen to involve our patients in our PCN development. We encourage you to join or liaise with your practice Patient Participation Group. From time to time the PCN will conduct a patient survey to find out what is important to you, what services you would like to see or be increase and what you like and don`t like.

A PCN is designed to free up time for GPs as up to a third of appointments do not need to be with a family doctor. By recruiting other clinical specialists it will allow the GPs to focus more on supporting patients with the greatest needs and the most-complex conditions, offering longer appointments to those who need them.

GP practices will be able to drive further action on detecting and preventing conditions such as cancer and heart disease, as well as doing more to tackle obesity, diabetes and mental ill health, and support older people at home and in care homes.

PCNs are a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan for improving services, published in 2019. They will bring billions of pounds in extra investment nationwide to sustain general practice in the short term and to improve access and care in the longer term.