Case Study: Brownlow Health – Leadership in a Single-Partnership PCN

Brownlow Health offers an interesting perspective on neighbourhood working and primary care network (PCN) leadership. Our model brings together four practices, one GMS and three APMS contracts, operating under a single partnership and serving approximately 94,000 patients across Liverpool. As a single-partnership PCN, our experience highlights both the opportunities and practical advantages of operating at this scale.

One of the most significant benefits is the simplicity of governance and decision-making. Because all four practices sit within the same partnership, leadership structures are already aligned. Decisions that in many PCNs require negotiation between multiple independent practices can be made more quickly and implemented more consistently. This allows us to move at pace when responding to operational pressures, workforce challenges, or service redesign opportunities.

Communication is another clear strength. With a shared organisational culture and established leadership structure, information flows more easily across the network. This helps maintain alignment between clinical teams, operational leaders, and strategic priorities. Rather than creating additional PCN governance layers, our PCN functions largely as an extension of the partnership itself, which reduces duplication and streamlines leadership responsibilities.

A further advantage of this model is the ability to direct PCN resources towards frontline services. Because the partnership already has a well-developed organisational infrastructure—including leadership, management, and operational support—we have not needed to invest PCN funding into additional governance or administrative capacity. Instead, funding can be focused on expanding multidisciplinary teams and strengthening direct patient-facing services. This has supported the integration of new roles and services in a way that complements existing practice teams rather than creating parallel structures.

From a leadership perspective, the scale of a single-partnership PCN also creates opportunities for strategic planning across a large and diverse patient population. With nearly 94,000 patients, we can think at neighbourhood scale while still maintaining organisational cohesion. This enables more coordinated workforce planning, service development, and engagement with system partners.

That said, the model also requires thoughtful leadership. Maintaining strong engagement across multiple sites and teams remains essential, and it is important that decision-making processes remain inclusive despite the organisational simplicity. Ensuring that the voices of clinicians and staff across all practices are heard is critical to sustaining the benefits of the model.

Overall, our experience suggests that single-partnership PCNs can offer a pragmatic and efficient approach to neighbourhood working, particularly where a mature organisational structure already exists. By reducing governance complexity and focusing resources on patient care, this model can help primary care organisations deliver coordinated services at scale while retaining clear and accountable leadership.

PCC has been working to support Brownlow’s leadership team through the delivery of development sessions and coaching.

If you would like to chat about how we can support your team, contact helen.ellis@pcc.nhs.uk.

Author: Tina Atkins, Brownlow Health.