Worked Examples

These examples show how to combine Haresign tools for common primary care management questions.

Review A Practice Before A Support Meeting

Start with Practice Overview.

  1. Search for the practice by name or ODS code.
  2. Review list size, PCN membership, and headline benchmark sections.
  3. Open the deeper dashboards for areas that look unusual.
  4. Check the source date before quoting a figure.
  5. Use the result as a prompt list for the meeting rather than a final judgement.

Useful follow-up tools:

  • List Size Dashboards for population context.
  • GP Appointments Dashboard for access and activity.
  • GP Patient Survey Dashboard for experience measures.
  • NHS Payments Dashboard for financial benchmarking.

Compare Access Pressure Across A PCN

Use appointment, telephony, online consultation, and survey tools together.

  1. Select the PCN or member practices.
  2. Compare total appointment activity and DNA rates.
  3. Review appointment mode and wait bands.
  4. Compare telephony demand and abandoned or missed calls where available.
  5. Compare online consultation volumes and timing.
  6. Check GP Patient Survey access measures to understand patient experience.

Avoid treating one metric as the whole story. Access pressure is usually a mix of demand, staffing, workflow, appointment-book setup, and patient expectation.

Estimate QOF Planning Impact

Use QOF Tools.

  1. Select the relevant QOF year.
  2. Review indicator metadata and thresholds.
  3. Enter current or expected achievement assumptions.
  4. Adjust one assumption at a time to understand sensitivity.
  5. Compare with prevalence dashboards where register size affects the result.

Use the calculator for planning conversations. Confirm official rules and final figures through the appropriate national or local system.

Review PCN DES Variation

Use PCN DES Dashboard.

  1. Select the PCN.
  2. Review the indicator groups.
  3. Compare member practices against the PCN total.
  4. Identify whether variation is caused by numerator, denominator, or additional measures.
  5. Create an action list for indicators needing local review.

Always check the current PCN DES specification before using results for formal contractual decisions.

Benchmark Payments

Use NHS Payments.

  1. Select a practice or PCN and reporting year.
  2. Start with total payments.
  3. Move to per-patient or per-weighted-patient values where available.
  4. Review payment categories to understand what drives the difference.
  5. Compare with peers that make sense for contract type and service model.

Payment comparisons are strongest when they are used to ask better questions, not to rank organisations without context.

Prepare A Board Or Committee Summary

  1. State the question first.
  2. Name the tool and dataset used.
  3. Include the reporting period.
  4. Show the selected geography or organisation.
  5. Explain any caveats from the data source.
  6. Separate observed data from suggested action.

Example wording:

The dashboard shows published GP appointment activity for January 2026.
The figures are based on nationally published appointment data and may be
affected by local appointment-book mapping. The result should be used alongside
local operational knowledge before agreeing actions.