Observational studyThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2020
Variability in size and characteristics of primary care networks in England: observational study.
Observational study in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of international performance indicators and metrics relevant to UK general practice.BMJ open quality · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of the clinically oriented roles of a general practice receptionist: a systematic review with narrative synthesis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Pooled it
- Primary care micro-teams: an international systematic review of patient and healthcare professional perspectives.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Impact of the rollout of the national social prescribing link worker programme on population outcomes: evidence from a repeated cross-sectional survey.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme uptake, patient satisfaction, and QOF achievement: an ecological study from 2020-2023.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Exploring whether primary care networks can contribute to the national goal of reducing health inequalities: a mixed-methods study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Implementing the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in seven English Primary Care Networks: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Primary care networks as a means of supporting primary care: findings from qualitative case study-based evaluation in the English NHS.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Consequences of the closure of general practices: a retrospective cross-sectional study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Article
- Comparing registered and resident populations in Primary Care Networks in England: an observational study.BJGP open · 2022Article
- The healthcare needs and general practice utilization of people with acquired neurological disability and complex needs: A scoping review.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
- Transforming primary care in Scotland: a critical policy analysis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2022Article
- Article
- Equity and the funding of Primary Care Networks.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
- Exploring commissioners' understandings of early primary care network development: qualitative interview study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
- Primary care networks: are they fit for the future?The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
- Working lives of GPs in Scotland and England: cross-sectional analysis of national surveys.BMJ open · 2020Article
- Defining Pooled' Place-Based' Budgets for Health and Social Care: A Scoping Review.International journal of integrated careArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGeneral practices in England have been encouraged by national policy to work together on a larger scale by creating primary care networks (PCNs). Policy guidance recommended that they should serve populations of 30 000-50 000 people to perform effectively.
aimTo describe variation in the size and characteristics of PCNs and their populations. DESIGN AND
settingCross-sectional analysis in England.
methodUsing published information from January 2020, PCNs were identified that contained <30 000, between 30 000-50 000, and >50 000 people. Percentiles were calculated to describe variation in size and population characteristics. PCN composition within each commissioning region was also examined.
resultsIn total, 6758 practices had formed 1250 PCNs. Seven hundred and twenty-six (58%) PCNs had the recommended population of 30 000-50 000 people. Eighty-four (7%) PCNs contained <30 000 people. Four hundred and forty (35%) PCNs contained >50 000 people. Thirty-four (3%) PCNs comprised just one practice and 77 (6%) PCNs contained >10 practices. Some PCNs contained more than double the proportions of older people and people with chronic conditions compared to other PCNs. More than half of the population were from very socioeconomically deprived areas in 172 (14%) PCNs. Only six (4%) of the 135 commissioning regions ensured all PCNs were in the recommended population range. All practices had joined a single PCN in three (2%) commissioning regions.
conclusionMore than 40% of the PCNs were not of the recommended size, and there was substantial variation in their composition and characteristics. This high variability between PCNs is a risk to their future performance.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.