PRIMIS Hub membership FAQ

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Is the PRIMIS membership scheme a temporary arrangement while national funding for data quality training is being agreed?

No. The membership scheme is the way in which all current and future PRIMIS products and services will now be provided. If new data quality training, funded centrally, were to be commissioned in the future and PRIMIS was chosen as the selected provider, then these new free services would be provided outside of the membership scheme.

National funding for the products and services provided in the past by PRIMIS ended on 31 March 2012. However, if this situation changed in the future and funding became available for all or any part of the PRIMIS service, members’ subscriptions would be adjusted accordingly.

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What are the benefits of full versus free basic membership?

Although basic free membership gives access to a limited number of products and services, full members are able to use all the learning materials in the PRIMIS Hub Training Centre, all the informatics resources in the Hub Toolbox, be part of a community of health informatics professionals who meet in the Hub Lounge, and have access to support and help via the Hub Lifeline. Basic members will eventually be able to pay separate one-off fees to use any of the individual products and services, including the Data Quality for Commissioning query library and other products currently under development. Use of the Data Quality for Commissioning query set alone makes a full membership subscription worth the cost.

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Can anyone become a member of this new scheme?

Hub membership is open to everyone and any individual can register for free membership. Full membership is available on a group basis (a Super User linked to 12 GP partner practices) and is open to all primary care organisations, as well as groups of GP practices.

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What is the difference between a Super User and a Practice User?

The Super User will nominate 12 GP practices for membership, and 24 practice staff (Practice Users) will be selected from those 12 nominated practices.

Super Users and Practice Users have virtually the same access to all PRIMIS Hub products and services. The only exception is the Support Helpdesk, which will be available by telephone to Super Users only. Practice Users (and Super Users if they wish) can contact the Support Helpdesk via a web enquiry form.

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How can a GP practice become a full member of the PRIMIS Hub?

If a single GP practice wishes to join the Hub, they can pay an individual GP practice full membership subscription fee, which means that two of their staff will become members of the PRIMIS Hub (one Super User and one Practice User).

GP practices can also become members of the Hub by participating in a group membership. Group membership consists of a number of GP practices across a locality, supported by a PCO, such as the local cluster, PCT or CCG. Each GP practice in the group membership is allocated up to two members of the PRIMIS Hub (Practice Users). The group membership package also includes one free Super User for every 12 GP practices in the group, up to a maximum of five Super Users. Subscriptions can be purchased for additional Super Users and Practice Users.

In the group membership package, the Super User/s will typically be employed by the cluster PCT or CCG. Alternatively, where a group of GP practices join together to purchase a group subscription without the support of a PCO, the Super User/s will be employed at one of the GP practices in the group.

PCOs and groups of GP practices seeking to purchase group membership benefit from a discounted rate, as well as the ability to use the Hub tools and resources to work on local issues as a collective. Each group membership benefits from having a named PRIMIS Learning Consultant to support and facilitate work in the locality.


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Will there be any major differences between the way PRIMIS has operated in the past and the new membership scheme?

One of the major differences is that GP practice staff will be able to access PRIMIS online training direct, provided they are signed up to full membership of the Hub.

Another difference is that face-to-face training will only be provided on a commercial basis now that the contract with the HSCIC has ended. PRIMIS offers both standard training sessions and bespoke training sessions. Full members of the Hub will receive discounted rates for PRIMIS training

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The staff in our Primary Care Trust have been through the full PRIMIS training programme. What are the benefits for us in joining the membership scheme?

A subscription for full membership of the Hub will ensure that primary care staff such as information facilitators will continue to receive support and be part of the PRIMIS community. They will have continued use of the PRIMIS telephone Helpdesk Service, access to help and advice from specialist staff such as PRIMIS Clinical Advisers, and full use of the wide range of current products and services, including the new Data Quality for Commissioning query library. In addition there are a number of new products in the pipeline that are due to be released over the course of the next year.

In addition, a Super User in a primary care organisation can nominate 12 of their GP practices and up to 24 staff in those practices (Hub Practice Users) for full membership of the Hub.

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We use the GRASP AF Toolkit. What will happen to this toolkit now that the membership service has started?

Existing users of the GRASP AF toolkit will continue to access the CHART query library and CHART Online toolkit as normal. We will inform you in good time of any alterations. We would like to reassure users of the GRASP AF toolkit that it will continue as a free service.

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We have always used the CHART Flu queries from PRIMIS. What will happen to next year’s seasonal Flu collection now that the membership service has started?

The seasonal Flu query library falls under a contract that is currently out to tender by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. All those who have used CHART Flu queries in the past will be informed in good time about future data collection arrangements.

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We use the IM&T DES queries for our Local Enhanced Service. What has happened to these queries now that the membership service has started?

The IM&T DES Toolkit is only available to full members of the PRIMIS Hub.

When the membership service was initially launched, all current users of the IM&T DES Toolkit benefited from free, continued use of these resources, regardless of their membership status. However, as notified on our website and through email communications with users, from Monday 3 September 2012, download of the CHART IM&T DES query library and the ability to upload and view data in CHART Online is limited to full members of the PRIMIS Hub.

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My practice uses a number of CHART query libraries, such as Heroin Misuse. Are we still be able to do so now that the new membership scheme has started?

The CHART software and CHART query libraries are only available through the Hub membership scheme. Certain libraries are available to basic free members; others (including Heroin Misuse) are only available to full members. You can view a list of products and services covered by the membership scheme. Please contact your primary care organisation to see what arrangements are being made for PRIMIS Hub membership for your practice. Also, there are other ways in which your practice can join the membership scheme (see related FAQ, above).

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I am a regular user of the PRIMIS Discussion Board. What has happened to the Board now that the new membership scheme has started?

The PRIMIS Discussion Board is continuing for all members of the Hub (Basic and Full). In addition, all full members (Super Users and Practice Users) have access to an Ask the Expert forum in the PRIMIS Hub.

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I have been a member of one of the PRIMIS Learning Networks, facilitated by a PRIMIS Learning Consultant. What will happen to the network now that the membership scheme has started?

It will no longer be possible for PRIMIS Learning Consultants to attend network meetings or provide an online presence (other than as part of a paid-for consultancy service).

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As a PRIMIS facilitator, I have always valued the opportunities for networking with other primary care staff doing similar roles. How will the new membership scheme cater for this?

Each full member will be able to attend one free Members’ forum event each year (guaranteed for a Super User; subject to availability for Practice Users). In addition, the PRIMIS Hub Lounge can be used by full members to interact with their peers and PRIMIS specialists, to share resources, to get advice and help, and to work together collaboratively.

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