About Primary Care Networks
A primary care network is a group of practices who work together to focus on local patient care. They’ve been around since 2019 and 99 per cent of practices across England work as part of one.
With increased demand and a shortage of clinical staff, practices find they can provide greater, more personalised care for patients when they can work together on certain services or issues.
What we do
Evening and Weekend Appointments
Thanks to our joined-up work, Medway Valley has additional appointment capacity to offer to patients on evenings and weekends.
Patients can book via their GP practice to see a GP, nurse or other health professional at a time that’s convenient for them.
Healthcare Roles
Our surgery teams are now made up of a wider range of health professionals to help better meet the needs of our diverse communities, thanks to the PCN’s Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS).
Mental Health Practitioner
Paramedic
Physio
Receptionist
Social Prescriber
First Contact Paramedic
Nurse Practitioner
First Contact Physiotherapist
Care Co-ordinator
Clinical Pharmacist
Health Care Assistant
Pharmacy Technician
Hypertension
The PCN is currently trialling a digital hypertension monitoring service at Reach Healthcare.
Patients monitor their daily blood pressure and update the practice using an easy-to-use app. This allows the practice team to track changes between appointments, and follow-up where necessary and before health worsens.
Women’s Health
Menopause is finally being discussed and taken seriously in the news, society and in primary care. With 3.5 million women over 50 in the workplace, we know menopausal symptoms affect a large percentage of our patients here in Medway Valley too.
We also understand how important it is for women to get the right support they need during menopause. And we know that women from different ethnicities might need extra help. Better menopause care is, therefore, something we feel strongly about in Chatham, and our PCN has been taking steps to address it locally.
We’ve started helpful group talks for women going through menopause. They can learn about menopause, how to feel better, and talk to a doctor about their health. Our care coordinators attend and we also let the women share contact details so they can help each other after the talks.
Plus, we’re working with the Kent Surrey and Sussex Health Innovation Network to test the Adora Menopause App. It’s another way for women to learn about menopause and how to handle it with the help of an AI chatbot and symptom tracking.
From surveys, we found that our group talks and app have already helped women learn more about menopause and feel more in control of their lives. We’ll keep working together with other experts to make our programme even better.