Development of GP locality networks in a single CCG

Mid & South Essex STP

Southend CCG appointed Attain to support the development of collaborative primary care working-at-scale within local GP practices.

This involved:

Engaging general practices in a change management process resulting in the co-production of detailed locality implementation plans
Working in partnership with the local authority to ensure harmonisation with the evolving service model for complex care
Ensuring that locally determined priorities were identified alongside national priorities outlined in the GP Forward View

Our support involved:

We visited individual GP practices, undertook on-line surveys and ran group workshops in order to engage all local GPs and develop an accurate view of their current challenges and priorities
Identified local demographic and health outcome related drivers for service change and shared these with GP practices to provide context for the discussions about service development
Undertook a genuine process of co-production and developed service models, service specifications and business cases for new locality-based services
We established locality group project teams and drafted an initial MoU for GP practices to work together on a locality basis

Our results included:

The business cases and service specifications were approved and adopted by the CCG governance boards and funding awarded for a pilot of the new services
A local GP practice acted as host employer for a locality-wide home visiting & triage service with implementation overseen by the locality group
An extended access hub model was developed and implementation overseen by the CCG primary care team
A robust collaborative working model was established in one locality which will be spreading to the remaining three areas