What was the challenge?
Primary care teams in North Cumbria were facing big challenges – staff shortages, fragmented communication, and limited visibility. General practice needed a stronger voice and better support to improve services and attract new talent.
What did they do?
In response, the ‘Primary Care Services North Cumbria’ project was launched in June 2023. Backed by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, the project brought together GP practices, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), and partner organisations to work as one team.
Key actions included:
- Creating a dedicated project team to lead communications, cancer awareness, and workforce wellbeing
- Launching a website and social media channels to promote local opportunities and share updates
- Embedding the NHS People Promise across GP practices
- Running health awareness events and community health checks
- Supporting recruitment through career events and job promotion
Meet the team behind the project! The photo above shows some of the key team members who helped bring this work to life – from communications and engagement leads to cancer awareness and workforce development specialists. Their collaboration and energy were central to the project’s success.
What changed?
- The project’s Facebook page reached up to 100,000 views a month, with some posts shared over 100 times
- The website had 61,000+ views and 171,000 event interactions, with the jobs page being the most popular
- Cancer awareness and health check events – especially at rural shows – were well received and helped identify health issues early
- Communication between practices improved, leading to new joint initiatives
- The project laid the foundation for a new partnership: Primary Care Collaboration North Cumbria
What did they learn?
- Working together from the start helped build trust and momentum
- Clear, consistent messaging made a big difference for both staff and patients
- Promoting local success boosted morale and helped with recruitment
- Challenges like winter pressures and limited time slowed progress in some areas, but the team adapted and kept going
- Feedback from practices and patients was overwhelmingly positive
What’s next?
- Communications and cancer awareness work will continue into 2026
- The People Promise work has wrapped up, with findings shared across the NHS
- The team is now exploring how to grow the new Primary Care Collaboration North Cumbria
- The goal is to keep building on the success and make sure North Cumbria’s primary care teams stay visible, supported, and connected
Download and read the case study in full here.
Further information including news stories, videos, podcasts, job feeds and full details around the project legacy can all be found on the project website: www.primarycarenorthcumbria.co.uk
