What is ARRS?
Additional Roles (ARRS) is a summary term used to refer to a range of new, centrally-funded roles which allow PCNs to establish multi-disciplinary teams to provide more integrated health and social care services locally.
This enables patients to access preventative care such as health and wellbeing support and medication reviews more easily, while reducing pressure on GPs.
PCNs have a workforce budget and can choose to recruit from a variety of roles including Clinical Pharmacists, Social Prescribers, Care Coordinators and Health and Wellbeing Coaches.
Benefits
SWGP employs the Additional Roles staff for PCNs across South Warwickshire. Being the main employer of Additional Roles staff across South Warwickshire brings the following benefits:
- One coordinated recruitment process
- Centrally developed job descriptions.
- Avoids competition between PCNs for new staff
- Single onboarding process
- Removes employment risk from PCNs and practices
- Coordinated professional development and education
Developing the processes
In June 2021 there were 78 ARRS, across seven different roles working in South Warwickshire PCNs. In March 2023, we now have 113 ARRS staff helping us to grow, support and enable Primary Care in South Warwickshire.
We have developed induction, review processes, educational and peer support structures to help integrate and retain our new workforce.
We are now working with Coventry & Warwickshire Training Hub to explore how we further develop and grow this important workforce.
Our support includes:
Recruitment
Job Description
Advertising
Interviewing
Appointment
Onboarding
Regulatory Checks
Induction
Management
Performance Reviews
Education
Professional Development
Applications for Additional Roles
Hours recruiting Additional Roles staff
Hours onboarding each recruit
“We are grateful for the support the Federation has given to our PCN… by leading on advertising, shortlisting applicants, interviewing and corresponding with those applicants. They have also offered a solution to our concerns on the sustainability of funding and employment liability issues.”
Education and peer support
We provide clear, consistent training and support for all Additional Roles, making use of all suitable funding routes, including:
- Setting up additional education sessions and support groups for Clinical Pharmacists and Social Prescribing Link Workers.
- Linking with PLT, PCN Leadership and exploring Coventry and Warwickshire opportunities for development at scale.
- Working with regional and national experts to recruit Physician Associates, Care Coordinators and Health and Wellbeing Coaches.
- Sourcing appropriate training and funding for each of these staff groups.
“[Training sessions] are very useful and provide an understanding of clinical decision making in practice.”