GPC Chairman Seeks End To PMS Contract Many of you will have seen the headlines in the GP press last week, where Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of the General Practice Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association, is reported to have said that PMS contracts should be scrapped and the GMS contract formula revised to reintroduce basic practice allowance. Dr Meldrum is also reported as saying that fewer contractual options were needed – GMS and APMS. We want to reassure PMS practices that the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) continues to support PMS as a locally negotiated contract and will be seeking re-confirmation from Ministers that the PMS contractual option is a permanent feature of our primary care landscape as promised by Minister of State, John Hutton. PMS practices support their Local Medical Committees and the GPC through the voluntary levy and many of our members are contemplating their resignation from the organisation, which appears to be actively working against their areas of interest. This is a matter for individual practices to determine. However, we wish to reassure you, as we have many times in the past, that NAPC is proactive in its endeavours to support the continuation of PMS as a contractual option and will be raising this issue as a matter of urgency with both Ministers and the GPC itself. If you are a member, please continue to let us have your queries about any contractual issues, which we will endeavour to clarify on your behalf. If you are not a member, we would encourage you to join the only organisation that has consistently promoted PMS since its inception.
Yours sincerely
Dr Peter Smith Dr James Kingsland
President Chairman
NAPC NAPC |
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Lord Warner Sets Out Blueprint for PBC New plans to boost the number of GP practices directly commissioning health services were published today by Health Minister Lord Warner. He launched new guidance on practice based commissioning (PBC), where GPs and other frontline professionals receive an indicative budget from their Primary Care Trust (PCT) to commission services on behalf of their patients and local communities. This guidance has been prepared in consultation with expert opinion including NHS Alliance, National Association of Primary Care, the Improvement Foundation and the NHS Primary Care Contracting Team. The blueprint sets out clear guidance for Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to ensure that more practices are able to take forward PBC with maximum support and minimum bureaucracy. The guidance outlines: - reduced bureaucracy around business cases and tendering, making it easier for practices to develop new services, and making it easier for them to work in consortia;
- more financial freedom ? practices will be able to take on a larger budget covering an increased scope of services, and practice budgets will be moved to represent more of a 'fair share' of PCT resources; and, strengthened local incentive schemes ?
- to encourage more practices to engage in PBC and give practices a direct income ? linked to national priorities such as the 18 weeks maximum wait.
Lord Warner said: "Practice based commissioning is central to the new NHS. Greater clinical engagement in commissioning means better services for patients and better use of resources. When done well, PBC will also help waiting lists and achieve financial balance. "PBC gives clinicians the information, levers and incentives to improve services in response to the needs of their patients and local communities and bring care closer to home. "The latest uptake figures show that 85 per cent of PCTs are achieving universal coverage, and that we're on track to achieve universal coverage by the end of the year. 84 per cent of practices are taking up incentives, up from 81 per cent last month. "We need now to ensure that practice based commissioning is quickly embedded in the everyday life of the NHS. We've listened to clinicians and expert opinion, and reflected the views in this guidance on establishing PBC as part of daily life in practices. The new guidance I'm publishing today aims to get clinicians firmly in the driving seat on re-shaping services and setting over the obligations on PCTs to help advance this."
Practice Based Commissioning: practical implementation - what does this mean for practices? Do download a copy of the full document click on following link:
www.dh.gov.uk/practicebasedcommissioning
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Appointment of Executive Committee At the 2006 Annual General Meeting of the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC), a powerful executive committee of key players in the field of primary care was appointed for the following 12 months. Dr James Kingsland was returned as Chairman for a further year. Membership of the Executive Committee comprises: • Dr Peter Smith, President
• Dr James Kingsland, Chairman
• Mrs Janet Fitzgerald, Vice Chair
• Eric McCullough, Chief Executive
• Dr Johnny Marshall, Treasurer
• Dr Derek Hopper, Honorary Secretary
• Mrs Susan Nutbrown
• Dr Rhidian Morris
• Dr Howard Freeman
• Dr Tim Richardson
• Dr Nav Chana
• Dr Durairaj Jawahar
• Dr Ian Greaves
• Mrs Jose Tarnowski
• Ray Guy
• Lance Gardner
Mrs Susan Nutbrown, Chair of the Practice Nurses’ Association, commented: ‘I am delighted to be part of this vibrant and influential organisation, which is leading the field in the modernisation of primary care. The relationship between my Association and NAPC is invaluable in taking forward many important and exciting initiatives’.
‘My relationship with NAPC has been hugely influential in developing good relationships with practices where I work,’ said Mrs Janet Fitzgerald, recently appointed Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust. After his re-appointment to the Executive Committee, Dr Tim Richardson of EDICS, Epsom, stated: ‘These are very challenging and fast-moving times in the NHS; my association with NAPC has been important in influencing and supporting me and my colleagues in addressing the changes taking place’. |
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