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

At THC Primary Care, we provide resources for primary care leaders. This blog focuses on the Strategic Commissioning Framework – specifically for PCNs who are currently stalling on the neighbourhood agenda.

The NHS Strategic Commissioning Framework explained for primary care leaders. Understand what's changing, the timeline, and what it means for PCNs and general practice.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Neighbourhood working is new territory for PCN leaders. The 10 Forces framework helps you understand the complexities around healthcare partnerships and make better strategic decisions when there's no established approach to follow.

Expert panel reveals why PCNs have 6 months to prepare for NHS Ten Year Plan transformation. Take our free Neighbourhood MOT assessment to check your collaboration readiness for April 2026's SNP and MNP contracts.

London Target Operating Model 2025 brings major changes for PCNs. Understand the integrator role, boundary impacts & strategic implications.

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.

Primary Care Network Update: NHS Strategic Shifts & Local Integration Models | June 2025. Discover how £53bn funding, new ambulance standards, and different approaches in Birmingham vs London are shaping PCN development. Essential reading for primary care leaders.

UK Spending Review 2025 analysis for NHS leaders. £29bn NHS funding boost, 3% annual growth, digital transformation requirements. Covers workforce investment, productivity targets, integrated care changes. Plus wider public sector impact on health outcomes. Essential guide for healthcare managers.

NHS England's Urgent & Emergency Care Plan 2025/26 outlines 7 key priorities to transform winter healthcare delivery. This comprehensive summary covers the £370m investment, new targets for ambulance response times, A&E performance, and system-wide changes. Essential reading for primary care leaders to understand their role in the shift from hospital to community-based care and prepare for winter 2025/26.

The resource provides practical guidance for PCN managers working to meet the 2025-26 PCN DES requirements around risk stratification and continuity of care.

Discover how the ICB Blueprint reshapes NHS commissioning and the strategic opportunities it creates for PCNs. A practical guide for primary care leaders.

This blog summarises the NHS Green Plan 2025 and provides 10 examples of changes you can make at the practice and PCN level.