Primary Care Homes (PCH)

What is a Primary Care Home (PCH)?

Our Primary Care Home teams are made up of nurses, therapists and social care staff who work to support clusters of GP practices across Great Yarmouth and Waveney, called Primary Care Networks.

The aim is to make it easier for you to access the right service to meet your needs, closer to home. There are four Primary Care Networks in Great Yarmouth and Waveney. They are:

Each Primary Care Home has a team that includes:

• Frailty champions
• Community matrons
• Nurses
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational therapists
• Healthcare assistants
• Pharmacists
• Phlebotomists
• Clinical care coordinators
• Rehab support workers
• Assistant practitioners
• Diabetes nurses
• Social workers

What does this mean for me?

Integrating services like this means we can provide you with better coordinated, more integrated health and social care. Different organisations and teams can share information more effectively, which means that you will only need to tell your story once rather than repeating it every time you see someone new. We will also make sure you receive the right treatment from the right person every time, which will mean you get the best possible outcome from your care.

An Integrated Care Lead will work in each Primary Care Home team to break down boundaries and lead the coordination of care between services and organisations/agencies, which means that you will receive seamless services, regardless of who is providing them.

You can also get help to look after yourself and your family, as well as support to self-manage long-term conditions such as diabetes so that you can stay well for longer. Specialist community services, such as continence care or physiotherapy, will also be available when expert help is needed.

The benefits of working in networks

Working in networks gives us the chance to tailor the services we provide so that they better meet the health needs of local people. This means that if there is an area where a number of patients have the same issue, such as back problems for example, ECCH can arrange additional physiotherapy clinics so that local people can get the help they need without having to travel. This new way of working will also make it easier to signpost people to local support, such as groups for carers or organisations which aim to tackle social isolation.

Demand for health and care services is rising all the time. By working together more closely, we can also improve efficiency and make sure we make the best possible use of the resources we have available while keeping our patients at the heart of everything we do.

How will I access care?

You will be able to call one number to access all services. Clinicians will triage your call and make sure that you are referred to the right service to meet your needs, and will also be able to signpost you to local support groups where appropriate.

Download our Information for Patients and Carers - Primary Care Home Team leaflet