Care navigators work in practice reception teams and are specially trained to know about the care and services available to you at your surgery and in your area. While the name of this role may differ in your practice, they’ll listen and talk to you in confidence about your health problem, to understand your needs, so they can book an appointment with the right healthcare professional or service.

West Suffolk Rural PCN have many Care coordinators who are based across multiple surgeries within the PCN.

They are primarily responsible for arranging and supervising interdisciplinary and individual patient care. They work across a number of fields, and in some cases may focus on a specific group of patients, such as a particular age group, or those with particular health problems.

As an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team, a care coordinator will work closely with the patient to initially assess their needs, in order to develop and deliver personalised and often complex care plans. As well as connecting the patient with the right people within the practice, they may also help with bringing together different specialists and community service providers to ensure the care delivered is appropriate and effective.

West Suffolk Rural PCN supports Physiotherapy services to our patients.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) health issues such as back, muscle and joint pains are the most common cause of repeat GP appointments and account for around 1 in 5 of all GP appointments. Most of these issues can be dealt with effectively by a physiotherapist without any need to see a GP.

Physiotherapists can help patients with?

• diagnosing and treating muscular and joint conditions
• advising on how to manage your condition
• referrals on to specialist services

What are the benefits for patients?

• quicker access to expert MSK assessment, diagnosis, treatment and advice
• help to prevent short-term problems becoming long-term conditions
• improve the patient experience
• a shorter pathway means patients have fewer appointments to attend
• simpler logistics means patients are less likely to miss appointments, or to suffer administrative errors
• patients can gain lifestyle and physical activity advice from experts
• longer appointment times so patients feel listened to, cared for and reassured

West Suffolk Rural PCN provide Health and Wellbeing Coaches and Social Prescribing services to our patients.

Patients visit their GP's for a range of different reasons and sometimes these issues can be caused by non-medical matters such as loneliness, anxiety, stress or debt.

Social prescribers connect people with local community activities and services that can help improve their health and wellbeing. Social prescribing also links patients with appropriate support and guidance which has been shown to improve physical and mental health outcomes, reduce loneliness and social isolation and improve wellbeing.

Health and wellbeing coaches support people to increase their ability to self-manage, motivation levels and commitment to change their lifestyle. They are experts in behaviour change and focus on improving health related outcomes by working with people to set personalised goals and change their behaviours. They work with people with physical and/or mental health conditions and those at risk of developing them.

Health and wellbeing coaches can be an effective intervention for people experiencing a range of long term conditions, including respiratory, cardiovascular (including type 2 diabetes and hypertension), and stress/low mood. They can also support people with weight management, diet and increasing activity levels.

West Suffolk Rural PCN has a number of Clinical pharmacists working within the PCN, as part of the general practice team to improve value and outcomes from medicines and consult with and treat patients directly. 

Care Navigators/Receptionists can book patients a telephone consultation with a Clinical Pharmacist who can help and assist patients to manage long-term conditions, can give advice for those on multiple medicines and better access to health checks. 

The role is pivotal to improving the quality of care and ensuring patient safety.

Clinical Pharmacists can help with?

• prescribing
• medication reviews
• queries about medications
• telephone reviews
• treatment of minor illnesses
• managing a patient’s condition holistically
• ensuring patients get the most out of their medication
• ensuring there is joined-up care for patients

Pharmacy technicians play an important role within our PCN, complementing clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other health care colleagues. The purpose of the role is to lead improvements to maximise safe, cost effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care.

Pharmacy Technicians can help with?

Pharmacy technicians work directly with patients to provide information relating to:

• repeat prescription management
• medication reviews
• side effects 
• dosages 
• assist with medication queries
• health promotion
• counselling patients to support them in using their medicines effectively
• counselling patients on new or high-risk medication

If a pharmacy technician observes an issue or requires assistance, they typically elevate the concern to the clinical pharmacist for further investigation or advice.