Primary care networks (PCNs) are groups of GP practices that work together, and with other health and care providers, to deliver a wider range of services to the local population than might be possible within an individual practice. While many GP practices have worked with others over many years – for example, in super-partnerships, federations, clusters and networks – the NHS Long Term Plan and the five-year framework for the GP contract, published in January 2019, formalised this way of working through an optional extension to the national GP contract. This extension is known as Directed Enhanced Services (DES) and provides funding specifically for services delivered through a primary care network.
