Care Navigation in Doncaster practices
Primary Care Doncaster was commissioned by the ICB (formerly Doncaster CCG) with non-recurrent funds to progress Care Navigation in the Doncaster practices.
To commence this piece of work, our Senior Workforce Development Officer joined colleagues from across South Yorkshire in a care navigation working group. The group looked at the current situation across the region (Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley & Doncaster), discussed opportunities for improvement and reviewed offers from providers.
We then undertook a survey of the Practice Managers in Doncaster to gain their views on what is needed and how best it could be delivered. The consensus was that their teams needed updated formal training and an updated template to guide the staff and record the advice in the patient record. The majority felt that the sessions should be delivered on the days when the practices close for training and development (once a month).
Following a review of quotations to ensure the best value was obtained, Conexus Healthcare (Wakefield) was commissioned to deliver a programme of events over a 6-8 month period.
The programme, delivered by Conexus in partnership with the Primary Care Network (PCN) Digital and Transformation Leads and with support from PCD’s Senior Workforce Officer and Communication & Events Officer, includes the following for each of the five Doncaster PCNs:
- An engagement event with Leaders and Managers from across the PCN to look at the current situation, gaps and aspirations
- An accredited eLearning course for all Care Navigators
- A face-to-face training event with presentations from a variety of services in the PCN and from across Doncaster
- An online follow-up session for care navigators to answer questions and address challenges such as refusal of care navigation by patients
- A bespoke template in the clinical records system, to help care navigators help their patients and efficiently record the advice given.
The project is well underway, with 2 of the 5 face to events having taken place and the other three planned later in the month.