Established in January 2022 by our founder Luke Tate (MAPharmT), Primary Care Support Services was developed with a clear goal in mind – to bring greater efficiency and proactivity to PCNs and help them deliver more patient-centric care at every touchpoint. What began as a one-man operation, has quickly grown into a comprehensive team that currently includes pharmacy technicians, care coordinators and pharmacists.
At the heart of our business is a commitment to actively question primary care conventions to find more rewarding and effective ways of supporting those both working in healthcare, and reliant upon it. For example, unlike some locum agencies we work tirelessly to establish our team members as an integral part of the existing workforce so that a professional relationship is quickly established. In other words, you can expect to see the same faces and smiles booking-after-booking. We also believe that open communication is essential, which is why we arrange regular monthly meetings between ourselves and the practices/PCN teams we support.
Luke Tate (MAPharmT) is the real driving force behind Primary Care Support Services. Having qualified as a pharmacy technician in 2014 at the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Luke began work as a CCG medicines optimisation technician, where he quickly developed a knack for supporting GP practices with cost-effective prescription reviews and recommendations – at one point helping 32 practices collectively achieve savings of over £1million in a single year.
A natural entrepreneur, in 2017 Luke successfully launched the West Kent CCG Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) hub before being approached to manage and expand the larger POD at Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley CCG. Following this success, Luke was approached by Rochester PCN to join their growing PCN team and develop a similar POD, however Covid-19 resulted in a change of plans with Luke becoming heavily involved in the vaccination programme.
Following this period – and with the key support of Rochester PCN’s clinical director – Luke decided to launch his own business and provide his professional services as a contractor. This led to the creation of Primary Care Support Services in 2022, and the forward-thinking business that exists today.
