Who are Wandle PCN?
Wandle Primary Care Networks or PCN is a group of five NHS GP practices located in the heart of Wandsworth. We cover a patient population of 55,000 and took our name from the River Wandle, which runs through our catchment area and into the Thames. We provide the usual GP services at each practice site who continue to keep their own patient lists, individual identities, premises and teams. We then provide a bigger range of services together. We are proud to serve a diverse mix of patients from all backgrounds across our catchment area and many of our doctors and nurses and lived and worked in Wandsworth for many years so we have a wealth of experience and local knowledge.
The following practices form Wandle PCN:
Our clinical director is Dr Laura Quinton who meets regularly with the clinical and management Leads of all five practices to share ideas and plan improvements for local health and wellbeing.
This short film from NHS England gives more information about Primary Care Networks:
Why is my practice part of a Primary Care Network?
We look to partner with other local organisations and providers to integrate local health and social care services and provide fair access to all of our patients, whatever their circumstances. Each practice site has a patient participation group that patients can join to give their ideas and feedback.
We currently work in partnership with St George’s Hospital on projects to improve medication safety. We work with the community pharmacy teams to provide electronic prescriptions and repeat medication delivery services for our patients. We have partnered with Surrey Physio to establish services of a First Contact Physio and Social Prescriber who work with the five practices. We have strong links with our Community Nursing Services and Mental health services and as a PCN group seek to continually provide feedback to improve these services.
Working together has huge benefits for both patients and GP practice. Through collaboration we are able to run additional services, operate more efficiently and share knowledge and resources that ultimately mean patients have a wider access to healthcare.
We want to support self-care for our patients and promote easier use of digital technology and navigation round the increasingly complex health care system. Most of all, we want to retain that individual feel that local GP surgeries can give in the heart of their catchment area. We don’t want patients to lose that personal touch. As a Wandle PCN patient you will still have your own GP and your own local surgery, but also the benefit of a wider local and strong network all working together for one another.
The Network People
| Patients: | 55000 |
| Doctors | 52 |
| Admin & Management | 25 |
| Nurses | 8 |
| Health Care Assistants | 8 |
| Care Co-ordinators | 5 |
| Paramedics | 2 |
| Physician Associates | 2 |
| Pharmacists | 3 |
| First Contact Physio | 2 |
| Social Prescriber | 1 |
How does this affect me?
You may already be benefiting from being part of Wandle PCN.
If you’ve ever had an appointment with one of our Pharmacists, Paramedics, Physiotherapists, Physician Associates or Social Prescribers then you have been able to receive specialist care from the most appropriate clinician to meet your needs.
We are currently in the process of piloting a specialist Hypertension Clinic in order to find, diagnose and manage hypertension in our community. You may receive a text message or a call from our centralised administration hub or be invited to visit another practice location, however you can rest assured that you are still receiving care and treatment from a Wandle PCN clinician and that your records will be kept safe and up to date.
Meet the team
Dr Laura QuintonClinical Director
Dr Quinton is Clinical Director of Wandle PCN. She has been a local GP for over 20 years and graduated from UCL Medical school in 1991. Dr Quinton welcomes feedback from patients and local groups who want to contribute positively to improve the health of our local population together.
Áine HackettPharmacist
I qualified as a Clinical Pharmacist in 2014 and joined the team here in December 2019. I have a specialist interest in Polypharmacy and cardiovascular health.
Poonam JethwaPharmacist
I’m Poonam one of the clinical pharmacists. I joined Wandle PCN in August 2020. My role is to work with and support the GP surgery teams in terms of medication management, prescribing, monitoring, review and safety.
Azna EdooPhysician Associate
I am a healthcare professional with a general medical education who works alongside and under the supervision of GPs, providing clinical care as part of a wider multidisciplinary team.
Care Coordinators
Wandle PCN has a team of 5 Care Coordinators who work closely with GPs and other primary care professionals within the network. They identify and manage a caseload of identified patients, making sure that appropriate support is made available to them and their carers.
The Care Coordinators based at each of our five practices have been instrumental in reaching out to the most at risk patients to organise their Covid vaccinations and continue to work hard to ensure the needs of our most complex patients are met in the most efficient and appropriate way.
First Contact Physiotherapy
In partnership with Surrey Physio, Wandle PCN offers First Contact Physiotherapy with a practitioner who can assess, diagnose, treat and manage musculoskeletal (MSK) problems and discharge a patient without a medical referral. Those working in these roles within a network can be accessed through direct referral by staff in GP Practices, removing the need for an initial GP appointment and meaning patients can get seen by a specialist sooner.
The History of Wandle PCN
In 2019, the 15 GP partners of the five practices met at Southfields group practice and decided to work together at scale. We discussed ideas for projects to work on together which would benefit all of our patients. The Wandle PCN was born and named after the river that ran close to all of our surgery sites. The five surgeries all remain individual with their own patients, premises and staff. The Wandle Valley, close to the River Thames, is a busy, vibrant place filled with shops, businesses and people. We have excellent transport links into central London and opportunities with schools, colleges and leisure facilities, but we also have a population with diverse needs, who require access to the health care that they deserve.
What have Wandle PCN done?
In 2019, the first year, we employed a PCN clinical pharmacist to help improve the safety of medicines and prescriptions and worked with community pharmacists to enable patients to order and collect prescriptions online. We also employed a Social Prescriber, who could spend time with our patients to help connect them to non-medical services to improve their health. Appointments with the social prescriber are 45 minutes and give patients the opportunity to discuss what is most important to them. Over 2020 and despite the global pandemic, we have set up our own Physiotherapy service, employed two Physician Associates and a second pharmacist. We have also set up a team of Care co-ordinators who are working on making sure patients with long term conditions are well looked after and that personalised care is promoted. In Autumn of 2020 we also employed a PCN Paramedic to help provide a better home visiting service for our most vulnerable patients in our community, working alongside the doctors, district nurses and other team members. Working together means we can provide services to patients that we could not do in our own practice. As a local group of doctors who have all worked in the area for a number of years, we understand the needs of our patients and can have a stronger voice to press for services and opportunities for our patients to improve health. In October 2020 we launched a PCN Paediatric clinic to provide better access to a Paediatrician for the children in our area.
What do Wandle PCN want to do next?
We want to hear from you in the local community if you are interested to bring ideas, collaborate and get involved to bring positivity and wellness to the people of Wandle PCN.
COVID Vaccinations - Wandle PCN
Wandle PCN are proud to have been operating a successful Covid vaccination site at St Barnabas Church, Southfields since December 2020.
Having swiftly put together a vaccination site with just a week’s notice, the programme carried on and to date the team have delivered over 65,000 vaccines, including over 200 at home to some of our community’s most vulnerable housebound patients.
As the vaccination programme continues, we will continue to serve our patients in the best way that we can, potentially offering the autumn booster programme along with flu vaccinations into the winter.
More information will be available soon as the country finalises its plans, with Wandle PCN at the ready to deliver as many as required to support the national effort.
