About Torridge Health Network

SCHEDULE 1

NETWORK SPECIFICS

NAME OF NETWORK

  1. The name of our network is Torridge Health Primary Care Network

NETWORK AREA 

  1. The geographical area covered by our Network is coterminous with the boundaries of the following Practices:
  • Bideford Medical Centre
  • Castle Gardens Surgery
  • Hartland Surgery
  • Northam Surgery
  • Torrington Health Centre
  • Wooda Surgery

Current boundary maps (May 2019) for each of the above Practices are attached to this agreement.

NOMINATED PAYEE

  1. The name and address of the entity that the Core Network Practices nominate to receive funding under the Network Contract DES from the commissioner is Northam Surgery. Bay View Road. Northam. Bideford EX39 1AZ.

CLINICAL DIRECTOR

  1. The Clinical Director of our Network is Dr Adam Kwaitkowski.
  1. The Clinical Director was appointed by the process set out below. 
  1. Expressions of Interest Applications were invited from clinicians from each member Practice with a submission deadline of Friday 29th March 2019 
  2. All Expressions of Interest were circulated to member Practices.
  3. All member Practices were requested to cast a vote by Friday 5th April
  4. Dr Adam Kwiatkowski’s expression of interest received 100% support from all member Practices.
  5. The appointment of Dr Adam Kwaitkowski as Torridge Health Primary Care Network Clinical Director was formally approved and ratified at the Torridge Health Group meeting on Tuesday 9th April 2019.
  6. The decision was minuted and circulated to all member Practices on 15th April 2019.

MEETINGS AND DECISION-MAKING

  1. Meetings of Core Network Practices
  • All Practices are full members of Torridge Health PCN with the same rights (including voting rights) and responsibilities accorded to all. 
  • The Network Agreement and conditions of Torridge Health PCN membership will be shared and agreed by all member practices.
  • Each Practice will have 1 vote and decisions where a vote is required will be deemed quorate if a Practice has at least one representative attending – to discuss at THG
  1. Meetings of Network Members
  • Torridge Health PCN Executive Group meetings will take place monthly.
  • Each Practice will nominate a GP representative and a PM representative.
  • 1 GP and 1 PM will be nominated to represent Torridge Health PCN at the Northern Primary Care Collaborative Group.
  • A Torridge Health PCN meeting will be held quarterly to which Partners from all member Practices will be invited.
  • An annual AGM will be held to which all Torridge Health PCN members will be invited.

SCHEDULE 2

ADDITIONAL TERMS

Principles

BACKGROUND 

The Torridge Health Primary Care Network (PCN) was established as a group of Practices within NHS Devon CCG’s Northern Locality committed to developing joint working across the Torridge primary care footprint. Membership comprises of the following GP Practices; Bideford Medical Centre, Northam Surgery, Wooda Surgery, Castle Gardens Surgery, Torrington Health Centre and Hartland Surgeries. 

The purpose of the Network is to support member GP Practices in improving resilience and stability, to provide value for money services to commissioners and stakeholders and develop innovative, cost-effective primary and community services that respond to people’s needs.

Our aim is to elucidate the ethos under which Torridge Health has been established and to ensure that all parties involved in the Torridge Health PCN operate within this ethos and adhere to its agreed operational rules

Our objective is to continue to promote the ethos that Primary Care Services remain a key component of a successful and cost effective Health and Social Care system. We will act as a platform from which Practices across the Torridge Health PCN have a unified voice that enables us to have a significant influence on the commissioning and provision of services in the locality and benefit from system savings

We will seek to ensure that:

  1. Ensure every Practice has a voice.
  1. Enable the individual voices to be a cohesive representative VOICE of Primary Care in Torridge.
  1. Support member GP Practices to improve resilience and stability.
  1. To develop innovative, cost-effective primary and community services that respond to people’s needs and that are aligned to NHS key priorities 
  1. Enable individual practices to become actively involved in working “at scale” 
  1. Prioritise development of evidence based services which deliver high quality patient care.

STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP:

  • Work with all GP Practice members to develop and promote Torridge Health’s vision, values, aims and strategic objectives. 
  • Review and evaluate present and future opportunities, threats and risks in the external environment and current and future strengths, weaknesses and risks; and welcome and drive forward change when needed. 
  • Develop and review business plans to ensure that they are geared to achieving Torridge Health’s vision and strategies and the development of joint working. 

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:

  • Be creative in accessing funding streams to provide capacity within Torridge Health in order to ensure delivery of all objectives, without compromising our ability to act impartially on behalf of member practices.
  • Lead the development of new business opportunities across the Torridge Health Practice’s footprint, focusing on growing our presence by improving existing services and developing new areas of work. 
  • Maintain continual engagement with partners and commissioners to ensure early identification of opportunities across the health economy
  • Promote Torridge Health as a partner and provider of choice at every opportunity.
  • All Torridge Health member practices, in the spirit of collaboration will share development and contractual opportunities as they arise in order to encourage a Torridge Health PCN approach to maximising these opportunities, where appropriate, on an at scale basis.

Clinical Director

Refer to Mandatory Agreement

INFORMATION SHARING AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Data Sharing Agreement Attached.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Refer to Mandatory Agreement 

JOINING THE NETWORK

Refer to Mandatory Agreement

LEAVING THE NETWORK

Refer to Mandatory Agreement 

VARIATION PROCEDURE

Refer to Mandatory Agreement 

EXPIRY OR TERMINATION

Refer to Mandatory Agreement 

EVENTS OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL

Refer to Mandatory Agreement 

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Refer to Mandatory Agreement 

Additional Rights and Obligations

Refer to Mandatory Agreement 

SCHEDULE 3 

Activities

To discuss at THG – Obligations of Practices to deliver Extended Hours

[Describe ways in which the relevant Members will deliver the requirements of the Network Contract DES or any other activities as agreed by Members e.g. through use of a table as below]

ACCESS REQUIREMENTS


 Core Network Practices Members that are not Core Network Practices
Requirement Practice [A] Practice [B] Practice [C] Practice [D] X Y














SCHEDULE 4

Financial arrangements

  • The Torridge Health Primary Care Network will set up a separate bank account to manage any funding receipts or income streams. 
  • This account will be placed within Northam Surgery as the nominated payee and holder of a PMS Contract. This account will be managed and administered by Sam Shortridge, Group Manager for Northam and Wooda Surgeries.
  • As the nominated payee, Northam Surgery will receive ? funding from the £1.50 PCN Network funding stream to administer the account.
  • Torridge Health PCN will appoint an accountant to audit and deliver annual accounts. This will be funded from the £1.50 PCN Network funding stream.
  • An account of income and expenditure will be a regular agenda item on the Torridge Health PCN Executive Meetings.
  • Management of any future income streams will be discussed and agreed with all member Practices

SCHEDULE 5

Workforce

To discuss at THG 

[insert details of how workforce will be employed and utilised and arrangements for employment liabilities bearing in mind that:

  • Core Network Practices are responsible for agreeing arrangements relating to the workforce employed under the Network Contract DES; and
  • Other Members will agree any other workforce arrangements to which they are a party.]

SCHEDULE 6

Insolvency events

  1. The following events are to be considered events of insolvency referred to in Clause 75. References to “Member” below are, where a Member is a Core Network Practice, references to the legal entity that makes up that Core Network Practice which is the “Contractor” as defined in that Core Network Practice’s primary medical care contract: 
    1. where a Member is, or is deemed for the purposes of any law to be, unable to pay its debts or insolvent;
    2. where a Member admits its inability to pay its debts as they fall due;
    3. the value of a Member’s assets being less than its liabilities (taking into account contingent and prospective liabilities);
    4. where, by reason of actual or anticipated financial difficulties, a Member commences negotiations with creditors generally with a view to rescheduling any of its indebtedness;
    5. where a Member suspends, or threatens to suspend, payment of its debts (whether principal or interest) or is deemed to be unable to pay its debts within the meaning of Section 123(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986; 
    6. where a moratorium is declared in respect of any of a Member’s indebtedness;
    7. where a Member calls a meeting, gives a notice, passes a resolution or files a petition, or an order is made, in connection with the winding up of that Member (save for the sole purpose of a solvent voluntary reconstruction or amalgamation); 
    8. where a Member has an application to appoint an administrator made or a notice of intention to appoint an administrator filed or an administrator is appointed in respect of it or all or any part of its assets; 
    9. where a Member has a liquidator, trustee in bankruptcy, judicial custodian, compulsory manager, receiver, administrative receiver or similar officer (in each case, whether out of court or otherwise) appointed over all or any part of its assets; 
    10. where a Member takes any steps in connection with proposing an individual or company voluntary arrangement or an individual or company voluntary arrangement is passed in relation to it, or it commences negotiations with all or any of its creditors with a view to rescheduling any of its debts; 
    11. where a Member has any steps taken by a secured lender to obtain possession of the property on which it has security or otherwise to enforce its security; 
    12. where a Member has any distress, execution or sequestration or other such process levied or enforced on any of its assets which is not discharged within 30 calendar days of it being levied; 
    13. where a Member substantially or materially ceases to operate, is dissolved, or is de-authorised;
    14. where a Member is clinically and/or financially unsustainable as a result of any clinical or financial intervention or sanction by the regulator responsible for that Member or the Secretary of State and which has a material adverse effect on the carrying out of that Member’s obligations under this Agreement; or
    15. where a trust special administrator is appointed over a Member under the National Health Service Act 2006 or a future analogous event occurs.]  

SCHEDULE 7

Arrangements with ORGANISATIONs outside the Network

TO DISCUSS AT THG

All members of GP Practices in the Torridge Health PCN, all GP Practices across New Devon CCGs Northern Locality, New Devon CCG and Practices, Northern Devon Foundation Healthcare Trust, Health Provider organisations operating  across the Devon health economy,  Devon  LMC, LPC, NHS England, Social Care and third sector organisations. 

Under the umbrella of the Torridge Health PCN, Bideford Medical Centre, Northam Surgery, Wooda Surgery, Castle Gardens Surgery, Torrington Health Centre and Hartland Surgery will work together to:

  • Ensure a mutually supportive, beneficial and transparent relationship with all member Practices to ensure that clinical and non-clinical objectives are aligned and achieved.
  • Develop, maintain and keep under review an effective joint working management structure that supports the delivery of shared objectives. 
  • Effectively communicate and share the vision for Torridge Health and promote understanding of its values, objectives and services. 
  • Develop trust and strong working relationships with member GP Practices, including promoting understanding and demonstrating the advantages of Torridge Health membership. 
  • Promote effective joint working with external stakeholders and other key partners towards the achievement of Torridge Health’s objectives. 
  • Establish effective working relationships and networks with key agencies and current and potential partners at national, regional, sub-regional and local levels in order to promote the work of Torridge Health and demonstrate achievement.

[Insert details of any other arrangements between Member(s) of the Network and organisations outside the Network that may be relevant to this Agreement]