Develop Consulting secures new three-year contract to support general practice improvement across East of England and North East & Yorkshire

Develop Consulting is pleased to be able to continue supporting primary care transformation through a new three-year NHS England Practice Level Support (PLS) contract across its regions of East of England and North East & Yorkshire.

PLS is a national improvement programme for general practice, delivered on behalf of NHS England by three delivery partners, including Develop Consulting. The programme has already supported thousands of practices nationally to improve access for patient care, through improved capacity created by improved productivity, efficiency and patient care planning, with 1,002 practices completing PLS in 2023 to 24 alone, covering 1,034 sites across all ICBs and 47% of PCNs.

Working directly with practice teams, Develop Consulting’s coaches help identify and implement practical improvements in access, productivity, workforce design and patient experience, helping practices build resilience and deliver high quality sustainable care. Outcomes reported by participating sites include an average of 7 hours 39 minutes of clinical time and 9 hours 29 minutes of admin time potentially released and reallocated each week, alongside improvements in staff experience, care navigation and quality improvement capability.

Simon Bricknell, Healthcare Director at Develop Consulting, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have been entrusted by NHS England to continue delivering this important programme. General practice is facing significant pressures, but it also has a tremendous opportunity to innovate and work differently. Over the next three years, we’re looking forward to working alongside practices, PCNs and system leaders to help release capacity, improve patient experience and build resilient, sustainable models of care that enable practices to play a central role in neighbourhood working and the future of primary care.”

The new contract means Develop Consulting will continue supporting practices across both regions through the next phase of the programme, helping teams reduce pressure, improve patient access and deliver sustainable, patient-centred care.

Practices interested in learning more about PLS and how it can support their team can find full details on our Practice Level Support page.