Primary Care News

NHSE launches primary care digital and transformation lead development programme

NHS England has launched a new programme to support PCN digital and transformation leads with core skills to lead transformational change.  

Through a twelve month development programme, digital and transformation lead ARRS roles will be supported with quality improvement, data and digital, managing transformation, and a peer community to share learnings.

NHS England is hosting an introductory webinar, 14:30 – 15:30 23 May 2023, for those interested in applying for a place on the cohort during 2023/24.

The deadline to apply for the programme is 7 June. To find out more, please click here or email england.capabilityt4c@nhs.net.

The programme follows the recently published GP access recovery plan, which states £385 million Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) funding is available for 2023/24, including the new digital and transformation lead role.

The recovery plan also highlighted the introduction of a National General Practice Improvement Programme; across three tiers of support to help general practice deliver change. The document emphasises that these offers will be underpinned by a set of principles to ensure that change is clinically-led, data-driven, evidence-based and measurable.

The first tier, open to all, will see NHSE build communities of practice and run a series of webinars on each of the key areas covered in this plan. “We will look at how those who have implemented change can share their experiences, including planning around demand and capacity, and for companies providing digital telephony and tools to showcase their offers,” NHSE states.

The existing ‘Accelerate’ programme will be adapted into the second and third tiers to help practices in “the most challenging circumstances or those that simply feel they do not have the capacity or bandwidth to plan a path towards a Modern General Practice Access approach.”

It continues to add: “Of these two offers over the next two years, up to six months of support will be provided for up to 1,500 practices, which will be selected based on need and ICB nomination. An intermediate option will provide up to three months of support to 800 practices and 160 PCNs.” Both options are to involve hands-on support, a data diagnostic and tailored analysis of capacity and demand, with NHSE to facilitate courses for systems to help build their transformation capability.

As part of HTN Now, earlier in the year we held a webinar with Dr Minal Bakhai on supporting general practice to transform and create a sustainable future.