Newsletter

Abstract

Welcome to Update 91! The end of PCTs in England has seen significant changes in the funding and development of GP practices. In addition, changes to disability discrimination legislation have meant that we felt it worthwhile to overhaul Chapter 11. We hope that you find the updates useful. It is worth bearing in mind that not everything has settled following the Health and Social Care Act, and we will keep you informed of further developments. For example, NHS Property Services Ltd is very new and it's role and responsibilities are not fully understood (!).As we write, the BMA and NHS Employers have negotiated changes to the GP contract for England for 2014-2015. The key changes include the following:• The QOF will be reduced by 341 points, of which 238 will be transferred to core funding and 103 to Enhanced Services • Seniority will be removed over a six-year period, with a redistribution of released funds to all practices as an addition to core funding • The introduction of a new Enhanced Service on unplanned admissions • Three of the four imposed Enhanced Services from 2013-2014 will be removed • New IT systems requirements will be introduced, including the ability for patients to book appointments online and access their Summary Care Record • Every patient aged 75 and older will be assigned a named accountable GP to ensure coordinated care.Over the coming updates we will make sure that we provide information on managing and applying the 'new' contract. Some of us will feel that we are in for yet another change. As a Greek philosopher once said, 'change is the only constant'! Wishing all our readers all the best for the season and new year.