- Clinical Director
Hassan Argomandkhah is the Clinical Director for the PCN (Millbrook Medical Centre) and has the following responsibilities:
- To provide strategic and clinical leadership to the PCN, developing and implementing strategic plans, leading and supporting quality improvement and performance across member practices (including professional leadership of the Quality and Outcomes Framework Quality Improvement activity across the network). The Clinical Director would not be solely responsible for the operational delivery of services; this will be a collective responsibility of the PCN.
- They will provide strategic leadership for workforce development, through assessment of clinical skill-mix and development of a PCN workforce strategy.
- They will support PCN implementation of agreed service changes and pathways and will work closely with member practices and the commissioner and other networks to develop, support and deliver local improvement programmes aligned to national priorities.
- They will develop local initiatives that enable delivery of the PCN’s agenda, working with commissioners and other networks to reflect local needs and ensuring initiatives are coordinated.
- They will develop relationships and work closely with other Clinical Directors, clinical leaders of other primary care, health and social care providers, local commissioners and LMCs.
- They will facilitate participation by practices within the PCN in research studies and will act as a link between the PCN and local primary care research networks and research institutions.
- They will represent the PCN at CCG-level clinical meetings and the Integrated Care System (ICS), contributing to the strategy and wider work of the ICS.
- PCN Manager
Kendra Waring is the PCN Manager and works 3 days per week to assist the Clinical Director and ensure that the requirements of the national PCN contract are met. The manager oversees the local PCN projects and links in with the practices and the local patient engagement group.
- Finance Lead
Dr King from St Laurence’s Medical Centre is the finance lead for the PCN. He oversees the budgets and spend.
- Chair
Dr Thong from MacMillan Surgery is the Chair of the PCN. He assists in the running of the Board meetings and deputises for the Clinical Director.
- Social Prescribing
What is Social Prescribing?
Many things affect your health and wellbeing. GPs tell us that a lot of people visit them feeling isolated or lonely. Or they might be stressed out by work, money and housing problems. Sometimes it’s the stress of managing different long-term conditions.
That’s where social prescribing comes in. It starts with a conversation. It might be the conversation you’ve just had with your doctor. Or with another person in the practice team. They will refer you to a social prescribing link worker.
The link worker is there to listen to you, and put you in touch with the people and activities that might help you to feel better.
Your link worker might introduce you to a community group, a new activity or a local club. Or they might help you find legal advice or debt counselling. They might just help you find information and guidance: a bit of inside knowledge on your situation or what local resources there are. They could even support you to create something new such as a gardening club, a fishing group, a ‘men’s shed’ or knit and knatter group.
Social prescribing can help you to have more control over your own health and find ways to improve how you feel in a way that suits you.
Studies show that people get better and feel better faster than those treated with medicine alone. And because it works, it’s happening more and more – including here in this area.
- Clinical Pharmacists
We employ a number of whole time pharmacists that work remotely across the practices to assist with medication reviews and practice workload. These are in addition to the practice pharmacists you will be familiar with.
- First Contact Physios
We employ whole time first contact physios who see patients that have an acute physio problem. They work for a few days based at each practice and the reception staff can book patients in to see them.
- Cancer Care Navigator
We employ a full time Cancer Care Navigator. Tracey works across all of the Kirkby practices to support patients with a cancer diagnosis and ensure they receive the support required. The post is sponsored by Macmillan Cancer Trust.
- Mental Health Practitioners
The PCN together with Merseycare employ Mental Health Practioners. The post is designed to act as the interface between primary care and mental health services and will see patients at their own practice.