Executive summary
Ending Policy Fatigue Across a 9-Practice PCN in Just 3 Weeks
Organisation: Walkden & Little Hulton PCN
Scope: 9 GP practices
Challenge: Policy fatigue, skim-reading, false declarations
Solution: Professional Standards Passport by everythingCQC
The Problem
Our research showed that over 85% of staff admitted to skim-reading or clicking through online portals, creating a false narrative of compliance and a serious risk to quality and safety.
The Objectives
- Improve frontline engagement with policies
- Achieve measurable quality improvement
- Create a consistent standard across practices
- Deliver a solution that was practical, affordable, and sustainable
The Approach
A pocket-sized Professional Standards Passport summarising key policies in plain English, combined with:
- Self-appraisal
- Training records
- Staff-owned development
Achieved Results
- 8 of 9 practices implemented in 3 weeks (90% coverage)
- Average time per practice: 4 hours
(Practice No. 9 unable to commit time within project timeframe)
Implementation survey
- Previously: 85% did not read policies, recorded false positives
- Post project: 92% read and understood the full policy
Education and training Impact
- Over 92% policy read rate
- Increased staff engagement
- Reduced management compliance workload
- Clear evidence of culture change
Outcome:
A scalable, PCN-wide quality improvement model with measurable cultural change.
Measurable improvement in staff education and training
Full Case Study
Tackling Policy Fatigue Across a 9-Practice PCN
How a frontline, staff-owned approach transformed policy engagement in just three weeks
Client Background
Walkden & Little Hulton Primary Care Network (PCN) comprises nine member GP practices serving a diverse patient population. Like many PCNs, member practices were under increasing pressure to demonstrate consistent quality standards while managing limited time, staffing, and resources.
The Challenge: Policy Fatigue at the Frontline
Across the PCN, practices were reporting a growing and worrying trend:
- Long-form policies were not being read or retained
- Staff were skim-reading or clicking through online portals
- False declarations that policies had been read were becoming commonplace
- This created direct risk to quality, safety, and assurance
A confidential scoping exercise confirmed the issue. Staff openly admitted that policies were often:
- Too long
- Too technical
- Insufficiently relevant to day-to-day practice
As a result, understanding was inconsistent and knowledge retention poor.
Objectives
The PCN set out clear and pragmatic objectives:
- Address frontline policy fatigue using an innovative approach
- Demonstrate measurable improvement in engagement and understanding
- Ensure the solution was cost-effective and self-sustaining
- Improve inter-practice consistency and collaboration
- Capture outcomes through post-completion staff feedback
The Solution
Following a successful proof of concept at Walkden Medical Centre, the PCN selected the Professional Standards Passport from everythingCQC.
The Passport is a pocket-sized personal development handbook that:
- Summarises core policies and knowledge in plain English
- Combines policy awareness with self-appraisal, training records, and feedback
- Shifts ownership of learning directly to staff, rather than management
Crucially, it reframes compliance as something staff own, not something done to them.
Implementation Approach
To avoid nine fragmented workstreams, the PCN appointed a dedicated Quality Co-ordinator with responsibility for:
- Rapid implementation
- Direct reporting and momentum
- Removing barriers and delays
- Maintaining a single, coherent project
Roll-out Strategy
- 1-to-1 engagement with hesitant practices to build consensus
- Week 1: On-site protected half-day sessions per practice
- Weeks 2–3: Progress oversight via weekly practice meetings
- Original target: 12 weeks
- Actual delivery: 3 weeks
Overcoming Challenges
Two anticipated risks were actively managed:
- Limited resources in smaller practices
- Inertia caused by time pressure and motivation
The Quality Co-ordinator role proved pivotal:
- Prevented duplication and drift
- Maintained pace
- Converted hesitation into engagement
Results & Outcomes
Project Delivery
- 8 of 9 practices fully implemented (90% of PCN membership)
- Average time per practice: 4 hours
- One site visit plus remote follow-up
- Implementation time reduced by 75% (12 weeks → 3 weeks)
(Practice No. 9 unable to commit time within project timeframe)
Staff Survey – Before vs After
Previous system (long-form policies):
- 83–85% admitted false declaration or skim-reading
With the Professional Standards Passport:
- 92% read the whole policy
- 93% felt they understood it
- 80% reported positive discussion and discourse
Cultural and Educational Impact
Practice-Level Feedback
- Increased staff engagement with policies
- Higher completion rates for competency and knowledge
- Staff questions revealed previously hidden gaps
- Significant reduction in management time spent on compliance documentation
- Improved satisfaction compared to previous platforms
Staff Feedback
- Genuine enthusiasm for the format
- One staff member reported reading the entire handbook in a single sitting
- Organic spread to other disciplines (e.g. Clinical Pharmacists)
- Word-of-mouth interest from neighbouring PCNs
Client Testimonial
“We’ve had questions about the policies… they’re clearly reading it because then they’re asking us things about it.”
— Practice Manager
Key Takeaways
- Short, practical formats outperform long-form policies at the frontline
- Ownership drives engagement more effectively than enforcement
- Dedicated project leadership accelerates delivery
- Real engagement reveals risks that tick-box systems hide
- Culture change can be measured, not just claimed
Next Steps
This project demonstrated that a staff-owned, bottom-up approach can rapidly improve policy engagement, consistency, and assurance across a PCN — without increasing workload or cost.
The model is now replicable across other PCNs and provider groups.
