South Hambleton and Ryedale Primary Care Network (PCN) has joined up with neighbouring surgeries who will be working together to improve health and care services and providing more of them closer to home.

SHaR PCN looks after a population of 34,967 people, it is led by Dr Paula Evans, Clinical Director and she is supported by GP Leads. 

This more joined up approach means that, over time, you may have increased and easier access to allied health professionals including clinical pharmacists, physiotherapists, community mental health workers and paramedics. Our teams also now include care coordinators assisting patients and their families with issues related to frailty, cancer and dementia care. Our first community specialist nurse works with patients with Parkinson's Disease. 

The PCN is made up of seven surgeries including:

• Millfield Surgery
• Pickering Medical Practice
• Tollerton Surgery
• Helmsley Surgery
• Kirbymoorside Surgery
• Stillington Surgery
• Terrington Surgery

SHaR PCN shares highlights from a year of progress

GP practices working together as Primary Care Networks across the Vale of York have shared their highlights from a year of progress developing services and support for their local populations.

The South Hambleton & Ryedale Primary Care Network is made up of seven practices to the north of York. The PCN, which covers about 600 square miles, has been working with partners on earlier diagnosis and support for patients with dementia and has exceeded its target for learning disability health checks, among its list of highlights.

Its primary care team has also been boosted by 10 new posts including clinical pharmacists, social prescribing link workers and care coordinators.

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Additional services available to patients in GP practices

The PCN is working closely with partners across the locality including North Yorkshire County Council, Ryedale District Council, voluntary sector colleagues, community services, York Hospital, and Tees Esk and Wear Valley Mental Health Foundation Trust.  These partnerships are vital to ensure that we work together to put our communities at the heart of everything that we do, improving our services together.  You will see some of these partnerships being demonstrated in the additional services below which will be on hand to help with a wide range of social, emotional, mental health and wellbeing issues.

Social Prescribing - Social prescribing provides a service to people who don't necessarily need the kind of help that comes in a tube or bottle. Instead, with the help of a wellbeing link worker, a patient receives a 'social  prescription' to provide support that will help them access activities to improve health and enjoyment in life. For example connecting people to community groups and relevant services for practical and emotional support.

Find out more about social prescribing here.

First Contact Practitioner Physiotherapists - Patients with back and joint pain, including conditions such as arthritis, will now be able to contact their local physiotherapist directly, rather than waiting to see a GP or being referred to hospital. Patients can also see a physiotherapist by speaking to the GP practice receptionist or by being referred by their GP.

By making it easier for patients to access physiotherapist, patients will have quicker access to diagnosis and treatment, helping them to manage their conditions more effectively and recover faster, so they can get back to normal life quickly.  They will help GPs to manage their workload more effectively, and reduce the need for onward referrals.

Community Parkinson's Nurse - A community Parkinson’s nurse specialist is someone who will supports the individual needs of patients with Parkinson's disease by bringing care closer to home and helping to manage their degree of symptoms so that they can continue living their life.

Read more about this role and how it can support patients with Parkinson's Disease here.

Care Coordinators - Care coordinators support GP practices and their patients to co-ordinate personal care needs. Read more about these roles and the holistic support they offer patients here.

Mental Health Practitioners - Sometimes referred to as a First Contact Mental Health Practitioner, this role supports patients with either a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health concern without the need for a GP referral. Read more about how they support patients here.

Clinical Pharmacist - This is an internal facing role supporting medication reviews in care homes, working closely with the individual practices and the PCN as a whole. Patients may sometimes be contacted by a clinical pharmacist to review medications

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Blog posts

Dr Paula Evans: Demonstrating the power of place Read more 

Dr Helena Ebbs: Patient care in the new world of COVID-19 Read more 

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PCN leads

The South Hambleton and Ryedale PCN is led by Dr Paula Evans, Clinical Director and she is supported by GP leads.

• Lead for Urgent Care and Improving Access, Dr Sarah Utting.
• Lead for Quality Improvement, Dr Helena Ebbs, Pickering Medical Practice.

The Leadership Team is supported by a number of other key roles - click here to view the SHaR PCN contact sheet