FAQs
FAQs for Clinicians
FAQs for the General Public
FAQs for Clinicians
What is Primecare?
Primecare is one of the UK's leading providers of 24-hour integrated healthcare services.
Primecare Primary Care, Forensic Medical and Managed Healthcare offer a comprehensive range of healthcare service solutions, which are relied upon by both Primary Care Organisations and communities around Britain.
Where is Primecare based?
Primecare is a nationwide healthcare company serving England, Scotland and Wales.
How big is Primecare?
Primecare works with over 150 Primary Care Organisations (PCOs), more than 10,000 GPs, two Secure Training Centres, five police forces, 18 prisons, four immigration centres, and other customers.
It is an independent, commercial organisation working in partnership with the NHS?
Yes, Primecare works in collaboration with PCOs to provide both in-and out-of-hours healthcare services.
What is the role of the clinician working with Primecare?
To provide a high-quality service that meets national clinical governance standards. This would be in a range of different situations, from face-to-face to telephone clinical triage scenarios.
What does Primecare provide for clinicians?
We will provide doctors and clinicians with a safe and secure working environment, and the clinical and administrative backup and systems to provide care for your patients.
Who will clinicians be working with?
Clinicians liaise closely with many different employees of varied career backgrounds at Primecare, from drivers to call handlers, and from call dispatchers to branch and CRC Managers.
FAQs for the General Public
What is Primecare?
Primecare is one of the UK's leading provider of 24-hour integrated healthcare services.
Primecare Primary Care, Forensic Medical and Managed Healthcare offer a comprehensive range of healthcare service solutions, which are relied upon by both organisations and the population.
So it is an independent, commercial organisation working in partnership with the NHS?
Yes, Primecare works in collaboration with Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) which are Department of Health supported organisations responsible for primary care in your region. Primary care services are delivered by your GP at their practices.
We work with the PCOs to provide out-of-hours healthcare solutions to ensure that when you need treatment or advice in the middle of the night or during a weekend, public or bank holiday, you will get the best care available from an on-call duty doctor or other clinician.
Why isn't my GP providing an out-of-hour service?
On 1 April 2004, a new contract for GP working hours comes into effect.
In the past, GPs have been responsible for their patients' care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
From 1 April, they can 'opt out' of providing this care after 6.30pm during the week, all weekends and public and bank holidays. This contract means the GPs can choose whether they want to continue offering a 24/7 service or ask their local PCO to provide their out-of-hours cover. Out-of-hours is regarded as weekdays before 9am and after 6.30pm and all weekends, bank holidays and public holidays, so an alternative will be required to provide care to you should you require it. Many PCOs have chosen Primecare to provide out-of-hours OOH services in their area.
Care and advice will still be available to you by fully accredited and qualified GPs and nurses.
www.doh.gov.uk/pricare - the Government's site for Primary Care
Will it cost me anything if a clinician has to come to my home?
No, it won't cost you anything. Primecare is funded by the Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) who are responsible for providing OOH healthcare.
Will a Primecare GP only come out to my home in an absolute emergency?
If you call for a GP, for example in the middle of the night, your call will be triaged. This means that your call will be fully assessed by a clinician (which can be a GP or an experienced nurse). The symptoms given to the clinician will be assessed and then advice will be given to you on the next steps.
The next steps can be:
- ask the patient to come to a Primary Care Centre for treatment;
- passing your call for the attention of a home visiting doctor or nurse;
- issuing advice for self treatment.
If you or the patient displays symptoms that require emergency treatment, our call handler will summon an ambulance for you immediately.
Will my regular GP be aware of any treatment I receive out-of-hours?
If, for example, a doctor is called to your house in the middle of the night or if you attend a Primary Care Centre, notes of your treatment will be faxed to your regular GP the very morning, before 9am.
When does Primecare offer the service?
The arrangement made between Primecare and the Primary Care Organisation commissioning our service varies from contract to contract, however, a typical example could be a Primecare Primary Care offering an out-of-hours service from 6.30pm to 8am weekdays, weekends and all public and bank holidays.
So they are available on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday and Easter Day?
Yes, 365 days a year, 52 weeks a year.
Is it just GP services that Primecare provide?
Primecare has three divisions: Primecare Primary Care; Primecare Forensic Medical; and Primecare Managed Healthcare.
Primecare Forensic Medical offers OOH clinician and healthcare support to secure establishments (for example police stations, prisons and immigration centres).
Primecare Managed Healthcare offers high quality, home-based healthcare alternatives.
If a GP comes out to see me, will he or she have access to my medical history?
Not immediately. However, when your call is made to request a doctor, a full telephone clinical assessment is made of the patient to ensure the doctor attending has as many details to hand as possible.
If your condition is serious enough, the doctor will immediately call an ambulance.
Are the GPs who come out to see me regulated and accredited?
All GPs are fully registered by the general practitioners' governing council, the GMC.