On Friday I visited SWAGGA PCN at Garston Walk-In Centre to meet the team and hear about the work they do in partnership with 15 geographically aligned GP practices to work together and improve patient care.
Primary Care Networks, or PCNs, are designed to provide proactive, coordinated care to their local populations, meeting a range of needs, with a strong focus on prevention and personalised care. This includes supporting patients to make informed decisions about their own heath and care while connecting them to a wide range of services like cancer, cardiovascular and mental health services. SWAGGA also have their own women’s health, social prescribing and learning disability services that hold sessions across South Liverpool. From Monday they will be offering their own Heart Failure clinic.
Managing Director Gina Barnett and Clinical Director Dr Coleen McCabe told me about the great work they are doing already but also their plans for the future. This would include expanding their offering and securing more space at Garston Walk-In centre so they can support as many local people as possible. They are also looking at offering services at other locations around the area.
I spoke after this with Jeff Scales from Liverpool Charity and Volunteer Services (LCVS) who already work with other PCNs across the city region to help them access funding and support. I will be introducing them to SWAGGA to see what help they can give them in growing their services.