Impact at a Glance
Over six years, NAPC has supported large-scale digital transformation across England’s primary care system, delivering measurable impact at practice, PCN, place and system level.
- 120 GP practices, 24 PCNs and 9 ICBs supported
- 7-borough system-wide digital front door rollout
- Up to 14 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure within 12 months through digital hypertension pathways
- Improved access, triage and workflow efficiency across multiple primary care settings
Sustainable adoption through workforce training, SOPs and post–go-live optimisation
The Challenge
Primary care systems face persistent barriers when adopting and scaling digital tools:
- Workforce capacity is stretched, leaving little space for change
- Digital solutions often fail to align with real clinical and admin workflows
- Infrastructure and interoperability limitations slow progress
- Inconsistent training and SOPs undermine confidence and uptake
- Benefits are lost when support ends after “go-live”
Too often, this leads to low usage, fragmented implementation and failure to scale, despite significant investment.
What we did
NAPC partnered with ICBs, PCNs and practices to design and deliver practical, clinician-led digital transformation that works in real-world primary care.
Our Approach
We deployed a multidisciplinary team with expertise in:
- Clinical leadership and clinical safety
- Digital infrastructure and cybersecurity
- Human-centred and human-factors design
- Workforce modelling and service redesign
- Evaluation, data and insight
- Engagement across practice, PCN, place and system levels
The “Scale or Fail” Methodology
“Scale or Fail” is NAPC’s structured approach to digital adoption that prioritises safety, usability and sustainability.
Rather than rolling tools out at pace and hoping for uptake, we:
- Test at small scale
Pilot digital tools with defined populations, practices or pathways.
- Design around real workflows
Adapt processes, roles and SOPs so tools fit frontline practice.
- Build capability and confidence
Provide targeted training, action learning and clinical leadership.
- Measure what matters
Evaluate usage, outcomes and operational impact.
- Optimise, then scale
Refine the model before expanding across PCNs, places or systems.
If a tool cannot demonstrate value, usability and safety at pilot stage, systems avoid costly large-scale failure.
Examples of Delivery
Large-Scale Digital Front Door Rollout – North West London
NAPC led clinical engagement and coordinated the transition to a new online consultation platform across seven boroughs.
Support included:
- Supplier comparison and product evaluation
- Workforce-focused action learning sets
- Post–go-live optimisation to improve triage flow and demand management
Insight: Digital tools only deliver value when workflows are redesigned and teams understand how to use them effectively.
Digital Hypertension Management Across 120 Practices
NAPC supported deployment of Viso across 120 practices, 24 PCNs and 9 ICBs.
Our work included:
- Clinical champion development
- Implementation and optimisation support
- Patient engagement and evaluation
Impact achieved:
- Faster treatment-to-target
- Systolic BP reductions of up to 14 mmHg within 12 months
- Improved integration into day-to-day practice workflows
Digital Access & Care Navigation Training
NAPC designed a four-part development programme for reception and admin teams, strengthening:
- SOP development
- Digital tool utilisation
- Confidence and resilience in front-of-house roles
Key learning: Reception teams are a critical – and often overlooked – workforce in successful digital access.
Social Prescribing Case Management System
NAPC supported an ICB to select and implement a caseload management system for Social Prescribing Link Workers.
This included:
- Supplier evaluation and selection
- Implementation planning
- Multi-borough SOP development
- Action learning sets for ARRS roles
Insight: Human-factors design is essential – system complexity and cognitive load directly affect adoption.
Impact
Across programmes, NAPC delivered sustainable improvements for:
Patients
- Easier access through well-designed digital front doors
- More consistent triage and faster clinical response
- Better management of long-term conditions
Practices & PCNs
- Reduced operational bottlenecks
- Greater workforce confidence and digital maturity
- Clearer, standardised processes
Systems & ICBs
- Scalable, evidence-based models for digital adoption
- Confidence that tools are safe, usable and fit for purpose
- Stronger collaboration across providers and partners
Why NAPC
What sets NAPC apart is our ability to bridge strategy and frontline delivery.
- Deep, grounded primary care expertise – from reception teams to ICB executives
- Human-centred, data-driven design
- Proven ability to translate policy into practice
- Strong supplier relationships enabling co-design
- A track record of delivering digital change at scale
Conclusion
NAPC supports primary care systems to move beyond digital implementation towards sustained transformation. By aligning strategy, workforce, technology and culture, we help systems achieve measurable improvements in access, outcomes, productivity and patient experience.
