Plurality of Provision and Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS)

APMS is a tool through which PCTs can deliver services.  While general medical services, PMS and PCT- managed services are other tools at PCTs’ disposal, APMS allows PCTs’ the possibility of introducing private sector companies (including GPs), voluntary bodies and indeed any other non-NHS organisation into primary care service provision.

APMS gives PCTs the freedom to use the private and voluntary sectors to provide primary care services. It can be used to provide out-of-hours services, enhanced services, replacement additional services, essential services or any combination of these.  As more open tenders that can accommodate APMS become increasingly common, we shall no doubt see APMS in greater use in delivering the government’s policy for plurality in service provision and more capacity in primary care. Organisations like Pfizer; Inhealth Group and ChilversMcrea are now moving into the world of delivering diagnostics and general medical services through the use of APMS and other contracting tools.

The NAPC has already provided dedicated support on the use of APMS and will continue to do so with increasing frequency as the policy of plurality of provision and the use of APMS as a contracting tool begin to bite.

For the latest information on Primary Care Contracting routes
click on link below:

http://www.napc.co.uk/pub-view.php?pubID=120

For Information gathered on APMS click on link below:

http://www.napc.co.uk/pub-view.php?pubID=135