NHS Employers (on behalf of NHS England) is pleased to have reached agreement with the British Medical Association’s GP Committee on changes to the national GMS contract for 2015/16.
The changes will mean that all patients will have a named accountable GP who is responsible for coordinating their care. Patients will also have online access to more detailed information from their patient records and a larger proportion of available appointments will be bookable online.
Other changes, all of which will come into force on 1 April 2015, are:
- Practices will publish the average earnings of the GPs in their practice for 2014/15 on their practice website by 31 March 2016.
- The value of a QOF point will be adjusted to take account of relative changes in practice list size and planned changes in thresholds will be deferred for a year. Discussions around any clinical changes to QOF within the current QOF envelope will continue.
- A commitment for NHS Employers, NHS England and the GPC to work together to address workforce issues currently being experienced by GP practices.
- Some armed forces personnel who are at home for long periods of time will be allowed to register with a GP for up to two years (currently up to three months).
- The patient participation and alcohol enhanced services will cease with the money being transferred into core funding. This means that all practices must have a patient participation group and must screen new patients for alcohol misuse.
- The unplanned admissions enhanced service will continue with some minor changes.
Decisions on the 2015/16 uplift to the GMS contract will be made following recommendations from the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body in early 2015.
Stephen Golledge, lead negotiator for the NHS Employers organisation, said:
"I am pleased that we have been able to achieve a negotiated agreement before the end of September. This will give GPs and their staff time to prepare for the changes which commence in April 2015. The agreed changes will deliver improved care for patients and should further strengthen their relationship with GPs. We believe that the agreement also represents value for money for the tax payer recognising the current economic climate.”
Further details are available here: www.nhsemployers.org/gms201516