The Business of Primary Care Networks Blog
Over 250 blogs to support the leadership and management of primary care networks 

Should you spend time reading NHS policy? Our framework will help PCN leaders find where alignment exists in their work - and make conscious choices about engagement.

By the end of this blog post, you’ll have practical insights and actionable strategies to make your Q4 PCN Underspend work harder, strengthen your workforce, and maximise the impact of your underspend

In a recent episode of The Business of Healthcare podcast, I spoke with Dharmesh Patel, Chief Executive of Primary Eye Care Services. We discussed why optometry so often gets left out of neighbourhood planning, the practical barriers they face, and what it would actually take to properly include them in integrated care discussions.

Understand the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework 2026/27-2028/29. Essential guide for PCN leaders on integrated neighbourhood teams, targets & timelines.

From Shared Care Records to the Single Patient Record: what the NHS 10-Year Plan means for primary care leaders, with actionable steps you can take today.

The Challenge: I fear our network moving backwards and can see all of our hard work being undone. 

Despite the fact that 42 neighbourhood pilot sites have been selected, and it appears full steam ahead with seeing how these models develop, for many, there is a sense of uncertainty about what to do next when it comes to developing their neighbourhood model.

If you're a PCN Manager considering your next career move, there are numerous pathways to explore. Here are the key options and strategies for developing your career

Healthcare leaders face a flood of promises from vendors touting AI healthcare solutions to revolutionise care delivery. The real challenge isn’t whether technology can help – it’s how to distinguish genuine opportunities from costly distractions.

At THC Primary Care, we create resources for Primary Care Network leaders to make running their networks a little bit easier. In this blog, we provide our take on what PCN leaders need to focus on in Q3 2025/26.

Discover proven strategies for managing primary care network funding conflicts. Learn how to navigate different money mindsets and build transparent financial processes.

Read this comprehensive guide to GP Contract Access Changes taking effect October 2025. Understand new continuous access requirements for phone lines, online booking, and premises. Balanced coverage of government modernisation goals vs GP safety concerns, implementation timeline from February agreement to October rollout, and potential patient impacts.

You know that nagging feeling when someone isn't quite right for the role? When you're constantly having to step in and do work that should have been delegated? When colleagues start coming directly to you instead of going through proper channels?

The Model Region Blueprint (published 11 September 2025) accompanies the Model ICB Blueprint published earlier in the year, presenting how oversight responsibilities will be split between regional teams and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). If you're running a primary care network or practice, here's what you need to know.

Don't let hidden assumptions derail your neighbourhood health project. Use this exercise at your next team meeting to surface risks early. Based on analysis of major NHS failures like NPfIT and terminated integration contracts, this practical tool helps teams identify dangerous blind spots across 8 key areas: relationships, funding, governance, community needs, and more.

I had a conversation last week with a PCN that's completely fractured. Two camps with fundamentally different visions of what their network should be. Board meetings where five people stay silent and two oppose everything. A clinical director ready to step down after five years because the stress isn't worth it any more.

Tara Humphrey breaks down why over £93 million in Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme funding went unspent by Primary Care Networks in 2024/25, and what's changing ahead.

This blog explores the critical leadership challenges facing Primary Care Network (PCN) managers and clinical directors who struggle with team dynamics, stakeholder management, and decision-making in complex healthcare environments. Drawing on insights from supporting over 300 primary care networks, the article identifies the core paradox of PCN leadership: the more leaders try to accommodate everyone's preferences and avoid conflict, the more frustrated and ineffective their

While pharmacists, social prescribers, and care coordinators have established frameworks, PCN Managers have navigated complex responsibilities without a clear roadmap. Until now.

We have compiled the latest primary care network documents and links into one central resource and linked them to some of our summaries to help you have them close to hand—the April 2025 update.

PCN update July–Aug 2025: key funding & DES revisions, ARRS uplifts, Enhanced Access, IIF CAN04 FIT incentive, and neighbourhood developments.

As strategic commissioning gathers pace and opportunities for primary care leaders to influence more collaborative working arrangements with ICBs expand, understanding the commissioning landscape has never been more critical.

PCN leaders face critical decisions: adapt to neighbourhood team structures or build on strengths? Practical guidance on NHS transformation ahead.

Transform your neighbourhood health contract meetings with professional facilitation tools. Six essential conversation areas covering meeting dynamics, workforce challenges, and provider collaboration. Practical question frameworks help PCNs navigate complex discussions and build stronger community partnerships.