Scroll Top

Why PCNs and GP Practices Should Harness Automation to Deliver More with Less

5th September 2025

Why PCNs and GP Practices Should Harness Automation to Deliver More with Less

Primary care is under more pressure than ever. With GP practices across England delivering nearly 30 million appointments a month, staff are working flat out to balance patient demand, new contractual requirements, and rising administration. Despite investment through the Network Contract DES and Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), the reality is that practices and PCNs are still being asked to deliver more — without additional headcount.

This is where automation can make a real difference.

The Hidden Burden in Primary Care

A typical practice with a list size of around 8,500 patients will process:

  • ➢ 200+ pathology test results every day
  • ➢ Tens of thousands of incoming letters a year via Docman
  • ➢ Repeat prescription requests from thousands of patients

Much of this workload is repetitive, rules-based, and time-sensitive. While essential, it diverts valuable GP, pharmacist, and admin time away from patient-facing care.

Introducing MyBotGP

MyBotGP is an NHS Cloud-based automation platform already used in hundreds of GP practices and PCNs across the UK. It works seamlessly with both EMIS and SystmOne, automating high-volume tasks that slow down access and fuel staff burnout.

The core modules include:

  • ➢ Pathology Filing Automation – Reviews and processes normal test results automatically, ensuring clinicians only need to focus on those requiring action. On average, this saves up to 19 GP days per year, per clinician.
  • ➢ Docman Automation – Triages and files thousands of letters, coding them directly to the right patient record and freeing administration teams from manual data entry.
  • ➢ Repeat Prescription Automation – Validates, checks, and processes prescriptions safely in line with practice protocols, supporting pharmacists and prescription clerks.

Why This Matters for PCNs

PCNs are expected to fully utilise ARRS roles and deliver against DES service specifications. Automation directly supports these deliverables:

  • ➢ ARRS Productivity: Bots take on the repetitive elements of clinical pharmacist or care coordinator roles, maximising the impact of reimbursed staff and allowing them to focus on patient-facing work.
  • ➢ DES Delivery: Faster turnaround of pathology results and correspondence supports Structured Medication Reviews, Enhanced Access, and Long-Term Condition management.
  • ➢ Capacity Creation: Every minute saved through automation translates into more time for patient care, supporting the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan.

Proven, Safe, and Compliant

All MyBotGP products live within the NHS Cloud and are locked down to NHS information governance standards (including DPIA, DTAC, and DCB 0129). They are deployed rapidly and require minimal disruption, making them practical for practices and PCNs that are already stretched.

The Future of Primary Care

Automation is no longer optional; it’s becoming essential. By removing repetitive admin from already stretched teams, practices and PCNs can create headroom to focus on what matters: delivering high-quality, timely care for patients.

If your PCN is planning budgets or looking at ways to increase ARRS productivity, now is the time to explore automation. MyBotGP is ready to deploy, proven in NHS primary care, and designed to help you deliver more with less.