Chesterfield & Dronfield PCN – Patient Newsletter (Spring 2026)
Welcome to the first newsletter from Chesterfield & Dronfield Primary Care Network (PCN)! We are a network of 10 local GP surgeries working together to provide additional NHS services in our community who are:
• Brimington Surgery
• Calow & Brimington Surgery
• Chatsworth Road Medical Practice
• Dronfield Medical Practice
• Inspire Health
• Newbold Surgery
• Oakhill Medical Practice
• Surgery @ Wheatbridge
• Stubley Medical Centre
• Whittington Moor Surgery
Our goal is to improve your care by connecting a wide range of health teams and resources through your usual GP practice.
Who We Are and What We Do
Being part of a PCN means you have access not only to your GP, but also to specialist teams that support your health and wellbeing. Here’s a quick overview of our core teams and services within the PCN:
Team / Service What They Do
– Ageing Well Team (Home Visiting & Care Homes) Provides clinical care for care home residents and home visits to housebound patients.
– Angina Management Programme Supports patients with heart conditions (angina) by offering personalised advice and group sessions to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
– Extended Hours Service Offers GP, nurse, and healthcare assistant appointments early mornings (from 7am), late evenings (until 8pm), and on Saturdays, for easier access around your schedule.
– Pharmacy Team Ensures you’re getting the most from your medications: performs medication reviews, helps manage long-term conditions, and provides prescribing advice in collaboration with your GP.
– Social Prescribing Link Workers Helps improve your overall wellbeing by connecting you with local community groups and support services – focusing on what matters to you beyond medical care.
– Research Projects Coordinates clinical studies across the practices, offering patients opportunities to participate in research that shapes future care and treatments.
Recent Highlights
We’d like to share some updates and good news from across the PCN:
• Patient Participation Group (PPG): We have held three PPG meetings so far (our first was in July 2025). These meetings bring together patients from across our 10 practices to share ideas and feedback, helping us improve services based on your input. It’s been a great way to listen to your suggestions and make care more patient-informed.
• Research Progress: Our commitment to research is growing – 8 of our 10 GP practices now offer patients the chance to take part in clinical studies, which increases to all our practices from April. We even welcomed Lynne Allsop as a Clinical Research Nurse to our team, bringing 15 years of experience to expand the range of studies available to patients. By participating in research, you might access innovative treatments while helping advance healthcare for everyone.
• Stop Smoking Project: This spring we’re launching a Stop Smoking initiative to support healthier lifestyles. Starting in March 2026, we’ll host free Health & Wellbeing Information Days in the community. Everyone is welcome – smokers, ex-smokers, and friends/family – to get advice on quitting smoking, healthy eating, staying active, mental wellbeing, and more. We’re working with local partners (like Live Life Better Derbyshire) to make these events fun and helpful. Keep an eye on our website and posters at your surgery for event dates and venues.
• Staff Wellbeing Survey – Positive Feedback: We’re delighted to report the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s great to hear that our efforts to create a supportive, caring and working environment are making a difference for our staff. We will continue to use your feedback to improve our services and ensure both patients and staff feel well supported.
Get the NHS App – Your Health at Your Fingertips
Did you know you can manage many parts of your healthcare online?
The NHS App makes it easy to:
• Order repeat prescriptions
• See your test results
• View your GP health record
Get health advice
• Manage hospital and GP appointments
• Receive messages from your GP surgery
Getting started is simple.
Find step by step instructions here: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/setting-up/
Coming Next:
In our next newsletter, we plan to feature a special “Meet the Team Leaders” section. You’ll get to know the friendly faces heading each of our teams – they will share a bit about why they love their roles (and we’ll include their photos, so you can recognise them!). Stay tuned for those personal stories in the next edition.
Thank you for being part of our community. We hope you’ve enjoyed this update. As always, your health and wellbeing are our top priority. If you have any questions or ideas, please reach out to your practice or contact us through the PCN website.
Until next time, stay well and take care!
