Since the NHS was founded in 1948, the UK population has grown significantly and people are living longer, with many managing long-term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or mental health challenges that require more frequent access to local health services. 

To meet these evolving needs, GP practices now work collaboratively with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital, and voluntary services through groups known as Primary Care Networks (PCNs). 

PCNs are built on existing primary care to deliver more proactive, personalised, and integrated health and social care closer to home — representing a shift from simply reacting to appointment requests, to actively caring for the wider communities they serve.