From Practice to Place: How Primary Care Networks Are Commissioning Community Support

October 25, 2025

🏥 From Practice to Place: How Primary Care Networks Are Commissioning Community Support

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are transforming how community health and wellbeing services are funded. For social care providers, this shift creates new routes into NHS commissioning — but it also demands a different language of prevention, partnership, and measurable outcomes.

As the NHS evolves from practice-based contracting to place-based care, PCNs are commissioning services once managed by local authorities — including reablement, social prescribing, wellbeing support, and light-touch domiciliary care. Providers bidding for learning disability, domiciliary care, home care, or complex care contracts can strengthen their submissions through strategic, NHS-aligned evidence — supported by our Bid Proofreading Services, Editable Method Statements, and Bid Strategy Training for Providers.

🧭 Why PCNs Are Commissioning Community Support

Created under the NHS Long Term Plan, PCNs now bring together groups of GP practices covering populations of 30,000–50,000 people. Their remit goes far beyond general practice. They’re responsible for delivering preventative, personalised, and integrated care — connecting health, social care, and voluntary sectors.

To meet that goal, PCNs are using “enhanced access” and “additional roles reimbursement” (ARRS) funding to commission community-based services that reduce pressure on GPs and secondary care. These include:

Home-based monitoring and wellbeing support for people with long-term conditions.
Social prescribing, lifestyle coaching, and falls prevention.
Hospital discharge follow-up and medication reconciliation.
Low-level reablement and personal care aligned with GP care plans.
Carer support, dementia outreach, and wellbeing navigation.

For community providers, this opens up an entirely new funding channel — but one where NHS commissioners expect clinical alignment, data evidence, and prevention outcomes, not just “good care.”

⚙️ How PCN Tendering Differs from Local Authority Contracts

Local Authority Tenders	PCN / Primary Care Tenders
Focus on social outcomes, independence, safeguarding.	Focus on prevention, continuity, population health, system impact.
Measured through satisfaction and service-level compliance.	Measured through clinical metrics: GP attendance reduction, admissions avoided, health indicators improved.
Supervised via contract management meetings.	Supervised via data dashboards, MDT reviews, and quality reports.
Moderate digital requirements.	Mandatory DSPT compliance, NHSmail, data-sharing agreements.

Understanding this difference is essential. PCN bids reward providers who quantify their impact and demonstrate partnership, not just delivery.

📍 The PCN Tender Scoring Model

Across recent NHS and PCN tenders, five consistent scoring pillars have emerged:

Population Outcomes — measurable improvement in access, wellbeing, and prevention.
Integration — collaboration with GP practices, community nursing, and voluntary partners.
Governance & Safety — clinical oversight, data assurance, and risk management.
Digital & Data Readiness — DSPT compliance, NHSmail, secure reporting, outcome dashboards.
Value & Sustainability — cost efficiency through prevention and early intervention.

Let’s break these down with examples and tender-ready language.

1️⃣ Population Outcomes — Speak the Language of Prevention

Every PCN bid should start with the outcomes that matter to NHS England: reducing demand, improving health, and enabling independence. Instead of “we deliver excellent care,” show this:

“Weekly wellbeing checks reduced GP contacts by 26% among frail adults over six months.”
“Reablement visits improved mobility scores (Barthel Index +12%) and reduced hospital re-admissions.”
“Social prescribing referrals achieved 82% engagement in community activities.”

These figures link directly to PCN metrics — activity reduction, prevention success, and wellbeing impact.

2️⃣ Integration — Prove You’re a Partner, Not a Contractor

PCNs need partners who integrate smoothly with clinical systems and MDTs. Evidence this by showing:

Joint planning meetings with GPs or community nurses.
Shared care records via NHSmail and secure platforms.
Daily updates or dashboards shared with the PCN hub.
Attendance at MDT reviews, with shared learning logs.

Example tender line:

“Our staff participate in weekly MDT meetings, sharing hydration, medication, and wellbeing updates through NHSmail to inform GP reviews — strengthening prevention and continuity.”

3️⃣ Governance & Safety — Clinical Assurance in a Community Model

PCN tenders expect CQC-ready governance that aligns with NHS standards. Demonstrate:

Named clinical lead (RGN or AHP) with defined oversight hours.
Policies covering infection control, medicines management, data protection, and escalation.
Monthly governance dashboards (incidents, audits, actions).
Root cause analysis (RCA) and learning dissemination cycles.

Cross-reference your governance with tools such as our Editable Strategies and Editable Method Statements — both designed to mirror NHS governance frameworks.

4️⃣ Digital & Data Readiness — The Hidden Tender Decider

PCN commissioners increasingly weight digital maturity at 20–25% of quality scores. You need to show:

Full DSPT compliance (evidence annual submission).
Secure NHSmail communication and role-based access control.
Digital care planning and eMAR integration.
Outcome dashboards — referrals, activity, KPIs, incidents, and feedback — shared monthly with the PCN board.

Include evidence like:

“All data shared via NHSmail and secure portals; quarterly outcome dashboards report 3.4 fewer GP contacts per user and improved hydration indicators.”

5️⃣ Value & Sustainability — The Economic Story Behind Prevention

Prevention funding is under pressure, so PCN bids must show quantified return on investment. Example framing:

“Our wellbeing programme cost £82 per participant and reduced hospital admissions by 19%, saving £460 per patient.”
“Falls prevention reduced ambulance callouts by 12 in one quarter — equivalent to £3,000 system saving.”
“By reducing agency reliance 24%, we reinvested £28,000 annually into clinical supervision.”

Always connect cost efficiency to human outcomes and continuity — that’s where NHS evaluators score highest.

📈 Example: Wellbeing Navigator Service

Context: A PCN sought a wellbeing service to support older adults with frailty and isolation.

Approach: Provider delivered weekly check-ins, hydration prompts, medication adherence support, and coordination with GP reviews.

Evidence: GP contacts reduced by 22%; hospital admissions down 19%; satisfaction 95%.

Tender line: “Integrated wellbeing visits reduced GP contact frequency by 22% and avoided 19% of hospital admissions within six months.”

🧠 Example: Social Prescribing for Learning Disability & Autism

Context: PCN wanted to expand non-clinical pathways for adults with learning disabilities and autism.

Approach: Provider embedded link workers in practices, partnered with community hubs, and introduced sensory-friendly activity groups.

Evidence: Community participation increased threefold; distress incidents reduced 41%; carer wellbeing scores improved.

Tender line: “Social prescribing for adults with LD/autism increased community participation threefold and cut distress incidents by 41%.”

🧩 Integration Across Your Bid

To make every section ICS- and PCN-ready, weave prevention and collaboration throughout:

Workforce: show joint training, reflective supervision, and shared MDT learning.
Safeguarding: demonstrate alignment with NHS Safeguarding Boards and system alerts.
Continuity: rota stability, low agency use, known-staff models that protect wellbeing.
Quality: RCA learning, quarterly data reviews, and shared improvement plans.
Social value: local recruitment, apprenticeships, volunteering and equalities outcomes.

📄 Tools for PCN-Ready Providers

Primary Care Partnership Strategy (from our Editable Strategies collection) — aligns governance, prevention and partnership logic.
Outcome Dashboard Template — captures GP contact reduction, admissions avoided, satisfaction.
Training Matrix — integrates prevention modules (hydration, frailty, sepsis, medication safety).
Reflective Supervision Template — evidences how learning translates into measurable change.
Tender Review & Proofreading Service — final checks for alignment and scoring compliance via Proofreading.

🧮 PCN KPIs to Track and Show

GP contacts reduced (% or count).
Hospital admissions avoided.
Referral-to-start time.
Client wellbeing improvement (PROMs/PREMs).
Carer confidence increase.
Continuity and retention (known-carer %, agency reduction).

Even two or three verified metrics with trend arrows (+/-) add credibility that outperforms generic claims.

🧭 Key Takeaways

🏥 PCNs are now commissioning prevention and wellbeing services — social care providers can compete directly.
📊 Show measurable impact on GP contacts, hospital use, and wellbeing outcomes.
⚙️ Integrate governance, digital, and partnership logic in every section of your bid.
📈 Use contextual data, MDT examples, and quantified prevention value to lift scores.
🚀 Build confidence with structured templates and NHS-aligned method statements.

To position your service for 2026 PCN frameworks, explore our tailored Learning Disability Bid Writer, Domiciliary Care Bid Writer, Home Care Bid Writer, and Complex Care Bid Writer support options — or boost your internal capability through Bid Strategy Training and our Editable Method Statements.