Primary care networks

Since the NHS was created in 1948, the population has grown and people are living longer. Many people are living with long term conditions such as diabetes and heart disease or suffer with mental health issues and may need to access their local health services more often.

To meet these needs, GP practices are working together with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital and voluntary services in their local areas in groups of practices known as primary care networks (PCNs)

Our Primary Care Network (PCN) is dedicated to enhancing your healthcare experience by providing a comprehensive suite of services directly to our practice. These services include Extended Access and Social Needs services, ensuring you, as our valued patient, have access to a diverse array of appointments.

Our offerings range from Social Prescribing to First Contact Mental Health Support, among others, designed to meet your needs. Furthermore, we actively encourage patient involvement through our Patient Participation Groups, offering you a voice in the continuous improvement of our services. For the latest updates and detailed information, we invite you to explore the most recent newsletters provided by the Primary Care Network Team.

N2 PCN Extended Access Service

More GP appointments for Islington residents at evenings and weekends.

If you are registered with Stroud Green Medical Clinic you can now access more evening and weekend appointments with a GP or nurse and many other clinicians, thanks to our N2 PCN Extended Access Service.

It might be that an evening or weekend appointment is more convenient, or maybe as a daytime carer the only time you have for yourself is at the weekend. These are just some of the situations where you might find it helpful to book an appointment with the N2 PCN Extended Access Service. Appointments do not have to be urgent and are available to anyone registered with GP within N2 PCN.

N2 PCN Extended Access Service appointments are available from 6:30pm – 8:00pm, Monday to Friday and from 9:00am – 5:00pm on the weekends and public holidays; however, opening hours will vary between the practices.

Staffed by local clinicians, the hubs are located at the following 8 GP practices:

• Andover Medical Centre, 270-282 Hornsey Road, N7 7QZ
• Hanley Primary Care Centre, 51 Hanley Rd, Finsbury Park, London N4 3DU
• Stroud Green Medical Clinic, 181 Stroud Green Rd, Finsbury Park, London N4 3PZ

The Junction Medical Practice:

• Site 1, 244 Tufnell Park Road, London, N19 5EW
• Site 2, 18 Dartmouth Park Hill, London, NW5 1HL
• The Rise Group Practice, Health Centre, Hornsey Rise, London N19 3YU
• Beaumont Practice, Health Centre, Hornsey Rise, London N19 3YU
• Archway Medical Centre, 652 Holloway Rd, Archway, London N19 3NU
• The Goodinge Group Practice,  20 North road, London N7 9EW

The GP or nurse will have access to your medical record to ensure that you receive the best possible care and support.

To make an appointment you can call your GP practice during normal business hours and ask for an N2 PCN Extended Access Service. If your practice is closed, you should call your usual practice number and your call will be answered by  N2 PCN Extended Access Service staff who will be able to help you.

We are improving the way we work with patients with long-term conditions

Patients living with certain long-term conditions will be encouraged to attend a yearly health check. Long-term conditions are those that impact over a long period of time, such as diabetes and heart diseases.

Patients will receive personalised care and support from healthcare professionals from their general practice. This will cover things that patients say matter most to their health and wellbeing, from the best treatment for their condition, to wider things like employment, housing, and mental health.

Our goal is that by planning care together with care, patients will have the confidence to manage their health, reduce their risk of being admitted to hospital, and have a better quality of life.

Who is this for?

Initially, we will cover nine long-term conditions:

• Diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2)
• Cardiovascular disease (for example, strokes, health failure, ischaemic heart disease, and peripheral artery disease)
• Hypertension (High blood pressure)
• Hyperlipidaemia (High cholesterol)
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Atrial fibrillation
• Chronic kidney disease
• Asthma
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In the future, we will look to expand this to cover more long-term conditions.

  What can you expect?

If you have one of the long-term conditions listed above, you will be encouraged to have at least three check-ins per year. Each stage is described below for you:

1. Attend your Check and Test Appointment

In your Check and Test Appointment, a health professional will carry out all the checks and tests you need to monitor and manage your long-term condition. You may be sent for a blood test and have other checks like a blood pressure check and weight check. We may discuss lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise with you too.

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  2. Receive your test results and your Care Plan

After two to four weeks, you will receive your test results (by post, text, or email, however you prefer).

We will also send a blank document called a Care Plan.

A Care Plan is an agreement between you and your healthcare professional to help manage your health and support day to day. In your Care Plan, you can record things that are important to your health and wellbeing. This can include anything from your life, like employment, housing, or mental health.

  A Care Plan covers:

• What is important to you and the goals you have
• How to get the most out of your medication
• The care and support you need from others

A healthcare professional will review your Care Plan with you in your Discussion Appointment. You can start filling out your Care Plan before your appointment or you can fill it during your appointment.

  3. Attend your Discussion Appointment

You will then be invited to a Discussion Appointment with a healthcare professional. This may be another team member (such as a nurse, health care assistant, pharmacist, social prescriber link worker) who is best placed to support your care and can spend more time with you. This appointment will take around 30 minutes.

You can discuss your long-term conditions, test results, treatment, and anything else that is affecting your health, from housing to employment. Together we will look at what matters most to you and agree some goals. Your Care Plan will be updated with what has been agreed.

  4. Attend your Follow-Up Appointment

Three to six months later, you will be invited to a Follow-Up Appointment. This will last up to 15 minutes and is an opportunity to update your Care Plan with a healthcare professional, considering what is going well and where you may need more support. You may have more than one Follow-Up Appointment in a year.

  How will I be contacted if this is for me?

We will contact you via text, phone call, or letter to organise your appointments. We will contact patients over the year so please do not worry if you do not hear from us right away. If you are concerned or have questions, please contact us.

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This clinic is for pre-school children who require developmental checks and children’s vaccinations.

This clinic is attended by the Doctor, Practice Nurse.

Please telephone for dates.

Our practice nurses are available by appointment to offer medical advice regarding travel and vaccinations where appropriate. Please telephone reception to book an appointment. 

Please contact the Practice Nurse; confidentiality is guaranteed.

This clinic is provided for all pregnant women to check the health of mother and baby at regular intervals during the pregnancy.

The Practice Nurse and the Doctor usually attend the clinic.

This clinic is provided to assist patients to give up smoking and to achieve a healthier weight.

The clinic is attended by the Practice Nurse.

The cervical smear test is available for women patients to identify pre-cancer signs.

Post-Natal checks are provided for mothers who have recently had a baby, to check on their health and to provide advice and guidance.

We provide a comprehensive disease service for patients with hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic bronchitis and ischaemic heart disease.

This service is provided jointly by the doctors, nurse and health care assistant.