The GP Collaborative Board (GPCB) is the decision-making body in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) for general practices to come together as a single entity, working with other providers as an equal partner in an Integrated Care System (ICS). The Board is made up of voting representatives from each of the PCNs in BNSSG and BrisDoc, as well as non-voting representatives from the localities, One Care and Avon LMC. The GPCB is led by the Chair and Medical Director.

4PCN is a primary care network (PCN) in South Gloucestershire made up of four general practices covering over 54,000 patients.

Dr Becky Pegden, GP Partner at Kingswood Health Centre, represents 4PCN as part of the GPCB. Managing Partner Robyn Clark acts as deputy, joining meetings and voting on the PCN’s behalf in Becky’s absence. This ensures the PCN is consistently represented at the GPCB – giving it a strong voice – and enhances engagement between the GPCB and the practices in the PCN. Having clinical and managerial representation also mean 4PCN brings a wide range of experience, expertise and perspectives to GPCB work.

The PCN representatives facilitate the two-way communication between practices and the GPCB. Ahead of GPCB meetings Becky and Robyn gather the views of their practices on agenda items by emailing out to practice leads and subject matter experts. Often the items for discussion affect practices or require discussion so sharing them in advance is essential. The 4PCN representatives then feed these views into discussion and decision making at GPCB meetings. Following the meetings, Becky and Robyn share key outcomes with their practices by email and at 4PCN’s monthly PCN Board meeting and gather further feedback and responses.

These processes enable the “golden thread” of communication and engagement, and amplify the voices of practices at GPCB level, allowing them to feed into system discussions and decision-making.

Becky and Robyn also support the practices they represent gain a better understanding of the GPCB and its plans by discussing within their PCN the wider strategic aims and goals of the GPCB. This helps practices to know more about the opportunities and benefits for their PCN of taking part in GPCB and system work. Equally it also means Becky and Robyn have a strong relationship with practices and a good understanding of their views which they can represent at the GPCB.

Additionally, Becky and Robyn take part in GPCB workstreams, programmes and representation. Over the past two years, they have been part of the following groups and workstreams on behalf of the GPCB:

• ICB LES steering group
• GPCB governance project
• General practice operational pressure escalation levels (OPEL) working group
• System discussions about care homes and P3 beds
• Strategic Development Fund (SDF) task and finish group

This means they both have a solid understanding of how general practice is positioning itself within the wider health and care system in BNSSG, and means they are developing their own general practice leadership within the GPCB.

For more information please contact gpcollaborativeboard@onecare.org.uk

To help practices with their staff recruitment, resourcing and retention, the GPCB workforce programme offers a range of free initiatives. These include access to a recruitment pool, preferential rates with staffing agencies, and work experience opportunities for care leavers.

Here we’re shining a spotlight on initiatives to help practices train and recognise their staff:

Training our staff

Working in general practice – introductory course

Our accredited course supports the induction and training of new team members. Fully accredited by Futureskills, the online course is a useful, practical and comprehensive introduction to general practice and how it fits within the wider health system. It has received 100% positive feedback so far from participants.

The course consists of four units which cover:

• what is general practice and how does it work within an Integrated Care System?
• how general practice is staffed
• clinical patient record systems and how data is shared
• looking after yourself and those around you

Learning is assessed via the completion of a quiz at the end of each unit. Learners can take each quiz multiple times but must achieve a 100% pass rate to claim certification.

The course is free to all BNSSG practices.

Recognising our staff

• Celebrating our general practice workforce

This initiative offers an opportunity to thank and appreciate your colleagues for their hard work and contribution.

All practice staff can nominate a co-worker. Every nominee receives a handwritten appreciation card, including details of their nomination. Each month, with consent, their names are shared on TeamNet in the nomination board.

• Long service award

Celebrate the dedication of your long-serving staff with our long service award, which recognises milestone years of service in general practice. Staff are awarded a digital badge for their email signature as a token of appreciation for their ongoing commitment.

These are just a selection of the workforce support available for practices. Full information on all workforce initiatives and how to make the most of them is available from the GPCB team: gpcollaborativeboard@onecare.org.uk

A close collaboration between our population health team and secondary care has resulted in targeted, transformative care for a group of patients:

The development of innovative treatments using biotechnological methods has transformed the management of numerous modern-day conditions. Patients with diabetes, various cancers, and those benefiting from measles or HPV vaccines are all examples of  people whose lives have been improved by a class of drugs known as biologics. Typically administered via injection in a hospital setting, these advanced therapies hold significant promise for patients  with severe asthma.

Dr. Peter Creber, consultant in respiratory medicine at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, frequently supports patients grappling with acute asthma. They often require multiple GP appointments and are at higher risk of A&E visits and unplanned hospital admissions – a situation that negatively impacts their well-being and places a significant financial burden on the healthcare system. While biologics offer the potential for substantial improvement in these patients’ symptoms, prescription is currently limited to secondary care. This raises the crucial question: how can patients within the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) area be identified and offered these potentially life-changing treatments when their primary health records are kept by their GP?

To address this challenge, Dr. Creber contacted  One Care, a collaboration that quickly revealed a pathway to support patients severely affected by their asthma. Currently 37 practices within BNSSG have agreed to participate in this work, and collaboratively suitable patients for biologic treatment have been identified. This process involved reviewing specific key health indicators within the patient record, as these medications are not appropriate for all individuals with asthma.

Dr. Creber said: “Once a patient has been identified as eligible, the administration of the biologic injection is straightforward, and the positive effect on their physical well-being is often dramatic.”

A single injection can provide relief for up to five years, offering patients the opportunity to significantly improve their quality of life. This not only reduces the need for urgent GP appointments, freeing up valuable primary care resources, but also minimizes unplanned hospital admissions.

One Care’s population health analyst, Phil Gladwin, said: ‘I’m delighted to have been involved in a project which has supported patients with severe asthma, and potentially freed up urgent GP appointments for other patients.’

This successful collaboration between secondary care and primary care, facilitated by One Care, exemplifies how integrated working can deliver optimal care for patients with severe asthma, resulting in positive outcomes for both the individuals and the wider healthcare system. Dr. Creber and the team continue to identify and support eligible patients across BNSSG, demonstrating the power of joined-up healthcare in transforming lives.

If you would like to find out more – or would like to discuss how our population health analysts can help target patient groups – please email business.intelligence@onecare.org.uk

The general practice landscape is always changing, and One Care wants to help practices be as prepared as possible to mitigate any potential disruptions which could impact their day-to-day operations. Our general practice support team has produced resources to help practices review their business continuity plans and fill any gaps necessary.

Last year, the team also conducted reviews on behalf of practices, looking closely at their plans and making recommendations where additional information was needed. They have undertaken reviews for 46% of our member practices’ so far.

One practice manager said: ‘Our practice had been meaning to update our business continuity plan to ensure that we had considered all possible scenarios.

‘We were aware of One Care’s business continuity plan toolkit, but it seemed a bit of an overwhelming task for me as there are at least 80 items to go through. One Care offered to go through our business continuity plan and the checklist for me; to tick off the areas we had already covered and to highlight which elements we needed to add or refine. They also suggested wording to include which was really helpful.

‘The best bit about this process is that One Care suggested I update our plan to include the EMIS business continuity module. I have to admit, I’d never tried it before this point, but I was so glad I did as less than three weeks later we had the global IT outage and using the EMIS business continuity module was invaluable on that day!’

If you have any questions about business continuity plans or would like help reviewing yours, please contact practice.support@onecare.org.uk

One Care’s people services team is launching a pilot programme of free HR workshops for practices, run by our HR business partner Gertruda Grudyte. The workshops will give your staff practical training on essential HR topics and will help build confidence and capability in managing common HR scenarios. Gertruda can facilitate each workshop in-person at your practice or at the One Care offices. 

The workshops include:  

1. Managing short-term absence – 3 hours 

• promoting employee health and wellbeing 
• understanding policy and legal considerations 
• making reasonable adjustments 
• conducting return-to-work and absence review meetings 
• navigating the absence management process, including potential dismissal 

2. Performance conversations – 3 hours 

• holding meaningful and constructive conversations 
• giving effective feedback 
• setting objectives and goals 
• managing different types of performance discussions (e.g. one-to-ones, probation reviews, annual appraisals) 
• supporting personal and professional development 

3. Flexible working – 1.5 hours 

• exploring the benefits of flexible working 
• dispelling common myths 
• understanding statutory rights and legal frameworks 
• managing the application process 
• key considerations before rejecting a request 

The content and duration of each workshop can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your practice following a discussion with our team. Workshops are ideal for line managers and department leads, and we recommend a minimum of six delegates per workshop. 

We’re also happy to explore joint sessions at PCN or locality level to lessen impact on individual practice capacity.  

The pilot will run until 31st March 2026 subject to availability. To express interest, please contact people.services@onecare.org.uk with:  

• preferred dates 
• number of delegates 
• any customisation requests 

We’re delighted to announce that following a very successful pilot, One Care’s HR services will be free to our member practices as part of their subscription.

We recently offered the free services as part of a three-month pilot which received really positive feedback: 95% of practices rated the overall quality of the HR services provided as excellent, while 86% of practices said the HR support they had received exceeded their expectations.

When asked about the impact the HR services have had on their practice, the most frequently cited benefit was increased reassurance and confidence in HR decisions. Practices also highlighted time and cost savings, improved compliance, and avoiding escalation.

One participating practice said: ‘We find having HR services really useful. The One Care team is quick to respond and has been helpful with difficult HR issues, and basic queries where we need reassurance on the decisions we are making. Having HR included within our OneCare package is extremely useful.’

Gertruda Grudyte, One Care’s HR business partner, said: “We’ve had fantastic feedback from our pilot of free HR services, so we know what we’re offering is what practices need. We can deliver value across multiple key areas of HR work, and are looking forward to supporting as many practices as possible.”

Our peoples services team offers a wide range of expertise and support, including:

• employee relations – assistance with issues such as staff absences
• performance management
• disciplinary and grievance procedures
• advice related to employment termination
• bespoke policies and letter templates
• advice on contractual queries

There are also plans to trial HR training workshops for practice managers – more details will follow soon.

If you’d like to find out more about the HR support available please contact people.services@onecare.org.uk

The GPCB is continuously strengthening how we represent general practice across BNSSG. As part of this, we’re improving our meeting processes to ensure GPCB meetings are as  impactful as possible.

GPCB meetings are a vital space for strategic discussion and decision-making for general practice in BNSSG. To make the most of this time, we’re strengthening our agenda-setting process to ensure GPCB meetings are more focused and inclusive, and that every item brought to the GPCB is clear, well-prepared, and meaningful.

 What’s changing?

We’re introducing a more structured and consistent approach. Before the meetings, presenters submitting a formal agenda item will be asked to complete a form answering questions about their item, engagement with the subject, and next steps.

Sharing a short summary of all agenda items with attendees and the Chair in advance will also help members prepare and engage within their PCNs effectively before the meeting.

 Why this matters

We believe this approach will lead to clearer decisions, better preparation, and more inclusive representation across the system.

Also:

• members will have the right information in advance, giving them plenty of time to engage on the subjects with their own practices and PCNs
• our meeting materials will be accessible to all audiences — avoiding jargon and acronyms
• decision-making items will be flagged and shared within set timeframes, making them clear for everyone

We’re excited to implement these improvements and continue strengthening the way we work together across general practice and the wider system.

 How to bring an item to the GPCB

If your practice has an issue to raise or an item you’d like to bring to the GPCB, you can:

• speak directly with your PCN representative, who can bring the item forward on your behalf
• alternatively, email the GPCB directly. We can direct your query to the most appropriate person – this could be the medical director, a clinical lead, or another representative already working on the issue. Items can also be brought as any other business (AOB) or as a discussion point — not all agenda items require formal papers

We’re here to ensure your voice is heard and that general practice remains well-represented in system-wide conversations. To find out more please contact gpcollaborativeboard@onecare.org.uk

One Care is working with 51 general practice partnerships across BNSSG to pilot ambient voice technology (AVT) — AI-powered scribe tools used during patient consultations. We’re collaborating with suppliers Heidi and Anima, both of which offer NHS-assured, compliant AVT products. Early feedback from practices has already shown promising results. 

Why try AVT in general practice? 

We want to improve patient experience of consultations, save time for practice staff by reducing the admin burden, and help reduce stress by helping to ease workloads. 

AVT supports these aims. It is a tool which listens during consultations, capturing what’s said and turning it into written notes. AVT reduces the need for typing, helping clinicians to stay focused on their patient. Notes are checked thoroughly before being included in the patient record.  

A practice taking part in the pilot reported: “Recently I did an entire surgery without Heidi (AVT). Looking back at the records this morning, I can see the difference in detail captured and safety netting. There’s no doubt my consultation records are richer through using AVT.” 

Another practice said: ‘Heidi significantly reduces typing time – approximately a 50% reduction.  It helps clinicians organize their thoughts and focus more on the patient during consultations. It is particularly useful for mental health and autism assessments.’ 

We’ve worked with practices taking part in the pilot to help them use AVT safely, and to make sure patients are fully informed about its use. All are given the choice to opt-out of having it used during their appointments. With 51 practices taking part in this pilot, the consultations of over 850,000 patients can potentially be supported by AVT during the project. 

What has been learned so far?  

We are a quarter of the way through the 12-month pilot, and our findings to date include: 

• time saving: most practices in the pilot believe the AI scribe is saving time on clinical documentation – and it’s not just GPs using the technology, but medical secretaries, practice managers and other staff too  

• positive patient response: most patients are very positive about AVT being used in their care. Patient opt-outs have been rare, but rose slightly following the media coverage about non-assured products 

• equalities issues: there are equalities issues which need further exploration – for example, whether the technology performs less well for patients whose first language isn’t English 

• levels of use: in the last three months, GPs across BNSSG have held over 40,000 total sessions, generated over 49,000 sets of clinical notes or documents, and over 470,000 minutes have been transcribed with Heidi 

 What’s next? 

We will evaluate the experiences of staff using AVT to help practices decide if it offers value for money. We’ll share updates throughout the pilot, and the final report will be available in early 2026 

We are also discussing with our partners in hospital and community services how the use of AVT can be integrated across health and care in the region.   

To find out more about the AVT pilot please contact morgan.daly@onecare.org.uk and westley.lane@onecare.org.uk 

A project to improve the identification of homeless patients within a Bristol PCN has resulted in more than double the numbers identified, helping the PCN’s practices plan and allocate their services more efficiently.  

People who are homeless face significantly shorter lifespans, on average dying 30 years earlier than the general population. And modern homelessness is complex, now including various forms of unstable housing. Targeting this vulnerable group with the vital healthcare they need is challenging, particularly in inner city settings.    

Our population health management analysts worked with Bristol Inner City PCN on the project to address this.  

Anne Wray, advanced nurse practitioner, who led the project in the role as Bristol Inner City PCN health inequalities lead, said: ‘We found a lack of coding as well as inconsistent coding of homelessness within our healthcare system meant we didn’t have a clear and accurate picture of the health challenges faced by this patient group. This hindered our ability to effectively allocate resources and tailor healthcare interventions.’  

One Care sourced the specific data across the PCN after organizing data sharing agreements, and created a template in EMIS for clinicians to use. The project resulted in the introduction of specific EMIS codes, reducing the number of codes previously used.    

One Care’s population health analyst, Phil Gladwin, said: ‘Clinicians now receive a pop-up in EMIS prompting them to use the recommended codes in a template. The impact was immediate – in just two months the number of homeless patients identified increased from 186 to 508 within Bristol Inner City PCN.     

‘Our data demonstrates that the homeless population in Bristol Inner City PCN is diverse. This highlights the importance of using data rather than assumptions to provide person-centered care. The improved data resulting from this project is currently being used to tailor the care of patients with diabetes experiencing homelessness.’   

Anne Wray added: ‘We hope this template and pop-up alerts can be adopted across the wider system to improve coding in the whole region. By accurately identifying the homeless population within BNSSG, we will be taking a significant step towards providing them with the tailored healthcare they urgently need.’  

If you would like to find out more – or would like to discuss how our population health analysts can help your PCN or practice target patient groups – please email business.intelligence@onecare.org.uk

Our 2024/25 annual round-up report is now available. The report highlights the impact of our support services over the past financial year, along with key updates on our programmes, project outcomes, and financial position for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Access the full report here.
If you have any questions, please contact us at enquiries@onecare.org.uk.