It’s that time of year again – we’re delighted to share the winners of the Primary Care Impact Awards 2023.
With categories exploring teams making a difference in primary care through patient access, digital solutions and more, here you’ll find out more about our winners, and hopefully take inspiration from their work.
Integrated Health would like to say a huge thank you to all that entered, and, of course, a massive congratulations to our winners!
Making an impact in primary care
Winner: The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Primary Care Network took the top spot in this category, with their work on improving access within primary care.
A new call hub set up to ease pressure on front-facing receptionists, answered over 1,000 calls at each GP surgery every week, reducing wait times by over 71 percent overall. iPads were introduced in waiting rooms, so that patients are able to book in for their blood tests. GP-led consultation clinics were held at Solace, which is a homeless facility in Wolverhampton. Asylum seekers living in hotels were offered clinics to receive vaccinations, health checks and more. The Enhanced Health in Care Home (EHCH) service worked with 17 care homes to ensure patients receive high-quality personalised care.
Highly commended: Congratulations also to our runner-up, Leeds GP Confederation, with their Community Ambulatory Paediatric Service helping improve access for children and young people with respiratory infections.
Read more about the entries in this category here.
Digital solution of the year
Winner: Enhanced Primary Care took the top spot in this category, with their service helping GP practices locate unclaimed income.
334 practices have signed up to the service since 2021. Once these reconciliations are complete, they report they will have found £5.3 million. This income would otherwise be lost to the practice and thus the patients they look after. The team have supported GP practices to locate £1,476,761 of unclaimed income in the past 2 years. They offer practices a remote “done-for-you” reconciliation service. Using bespoke in-house technology, the team analyse data from the practices clinical database. This analysis identifies work that has been undertaken but not claimed. Maximising the use of digital technology allows practices to provide all information required to compete the reconciliation in less than 15 minutes.
Highly commended: Congratulations also to our runner-up, Agilio Software, with their TeamNet + My Locum Manager seamless workforce solution to enhance workforce and HR capabilities.
Read more about the entries in this category here.
Practice of the year
Winner: Thistlemoor Medical Centre took the top spot in this category, with their initiative to identify high intensity users of primary care to help manage demand ahead of winter.
A group of 400 people with low-level medical needs, who visited A&E more than 20 times a year and the GP more than five times, were identified and offered support through a Population Health Management (PHM) approach. The practice held meetings with stakeholders including the local authority, to discuss options. A practice team made up of GP trainees/social prescribers/health coaches offered one-to-one consultations aimed to prioritise their wellbeing. They identified areas of ongoing concern for individuals. A cohort of 151 patients at Thistlemoor received a supportive consultation from the Thistlemoor team, use of A&E dropped by 70 percent and use of the GP by 30 percent.
Highly commended: Congratulations also to our runner-up, St Lawrence Surgery, with their initiative to reduce the burden on the triage system and improve patient access and satisfaction.
Read more about the entries in this category here.
PCN of the year
Winner: Southend West Central PCN took the top spot in this category, with their commitment to demonstrating the change and brilliance we can make together.
A multi-disciplinary team working in unison on behalf of our patients, residents and wider community, providing weekly ward rounds to 28 care homes, running vaccination programmes ensuring protection for all, organising Community Health Check pop-up events, and taking part in a range of community events networking with partner teams locally. Joining a pioneering community support model called Pact – PCN Alligned Community Team, which supports patients on discharge from hospital by assessing and ensuring referrals as required to assist with recovery and to avoid re-admissions.
Highly commended: Congratulations also to our runner-up, Canvey Island PCN, with their commitment to supporting the local population through outreach clinics and drop-in sessions.
Read more about the entries in this category here.
Excellence in supporting patient access
Winner: Think Healthcare took the top spot in this category, with their Total Access Triage platform.
Working with Foundry Lewes PCN to develop Total Access Triage, establishing Red, Amber and Green categories to prioritise patients. A contact centre solution enabling intelligent prioritisation of calls. Calls can be directed automatically to the correct team, and patients details are displayed. Care home numbers can be automatically recognised and diverted to the correct team. The PCN can send automatic SMS messages to patients in the phone queue containing links to their online consultation platform. Foundry found that over a three-year period, it was expected to reduce secondary care access for the most vulnerable by up to 13,00 days, equalling a saving of up to £2.5 million.
Highly commended: Congratulations also to our runner-up, Mid Mersey Digital Alliance, with their initiative to improve patient digital access and save appointment time.
Read more about the entries in this category here.
Excellence in patient communication
Winner: East London NHS Foundation Trust took the top spot in this category, with their success in reducing health inequalities at Cauldwell Medical Centre.
Highly commended: Cauldwell Medical Centre elevated cervical screening uptake in vulnerable groups through a Quality Improvement initiative. The project surpassed its target with 80 percent uptake in the 50–64 age bracket and reached 72 percent for those aged 25–49. A multidisciplinary team followed the ELFT sequence of improvement, first identifying the issue by analysing weekly baseline data on a run chart. They then went on to understand the issue by bringing together patients and staff for a focused discussion around the low uptake, especially in the non-English speaking community. Specific changes included translation for non-English speakers and staff education in cultural awareness and attitudes toward cervical screening.
Highly commended: Congratulations also to our runner-up, Christchurch PCN, for their determination in bringing dedication and innovation to primary care.
Read more about the entries in this category here.
Excellence in primay care
Winner: Dene Healthcare Ltd took the top spot in this category, with their initiative to save precious resources and time in general practice.
Working in partnership with practices to establish their unique costs at every step of the procurement process, allowing reallocations of time for what general practice does best – focusing and caring for their patients. So far this year, the team have worked with around 80 practices, saving one £2470.80 per year. Similar savings were identified within the ordering process, and an innovative standing order algorithm was set up to mitigate the staff expense, product sourcing was outsourced to the supplier, and with customised stock control and individual product costs, this took total savings to £6,675 per year and over 78 hours of staff time saved.
Highly commended: Congratulations also to our runner-up, Oberoi Consulting, with their Heart Failure Therapeutic Review Service, promoting optimal management of heart failure.
Read more about the entries in this category here.
A huge congratulations to all our winners, our runners up, and to everyone who entered the awards!
