What is New & Interesting on the Devon LMC Site
Information
is normally on here for a couple of months after which it is moved to the Info&Guidance
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If you are looking for something specific please use
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Hot Topics Colour Coding |
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December 06 - LMC Newsletter |
Trouble with PDFs |
DOH Link or DH Link |
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Yellow = Local issue |
Blue = National Issue |
White = General Info |
Green – High Priority |
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Updated Areas- Salaried GPs Page - PBC - Practice Based Commissioning - GPC & BMA |
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List
of LMC Meeting Dates - SEE |
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The
web site has been getting bigger. Therefore, to simplify the site and to
speed up load times, I have moved some nGMS - Data Protection Act (DPA)
- Sessional
& Freelance GPs - GP
Appraisal - Hep B
- SI 2004 No. 291 “The NHS (GMS Contracts) Regs 2004” - Quality and Outcomes Framework - Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks on GPs |
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Looking for Work in Why not visit the Adverts Page for a wide range of posts and opportunities. We have vacancies for GPs, Practice Nurses, Practice Managers and General Admin Staff - If you are interested in Sessional or Freelance work, then have a look at the Locum Page |
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Please
note all GPC guidance’s have a BMA copyright. The content, layout, design, data and
graphics contained in this document are protected by |
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Please note a new
web site is currently being developed this site will continue to be supported. If you experience
any problem with content please contact admin@devonlmc.org
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Information for GPs about the
decision by the Secretary of State for Health to cap pension dynamising factors - Jan 2007 Most
GPs will now be aware that the Secretary of State has announced her intention
to limit the dynamising factor (DF), used to uprate GPs’ pensionable
earnings for the period 2003-2006. She has declared that the figure will be
set at 48% and, additionally, that this increase will be spread over a
five-year period (2003-2008) instead of the 3 years (2003-2006) that GPs have
earned the income and paid the equivalent contributions for their pensions. Local Copy 5 Feb 07 |
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Guidance for medical practitioners
undertaking work under the collaborative arrangements (including family
planning and sessional work) The rates for work under the collaborative
arrangements have until 2006/07 been set by the Doctors’ and
Dentists’ Review Body (DDRB) and issued via an NHS circular. In its 2006 Report, however the DDRB did
not recommend collaborative arrangement fees for 2006/07 and it seems
unlikely that it will do so in the future; the Government has accepted the
DDRB report in its entirety, although there was a staging of pay awards for
consultants. The DDRB has recommended
doctors set their own fees for work done under the collaborative arrangements
and this position has not been opposed by the Government. The Professional Fees Committee has drafted
this guidance as a result of the DDRBs
recommendation and seeks to clarify doctors’ fee arrangements, superannuation
and obligations under the collaborative arrangements, as well as the
situation on family planning and sessional
work. This guidance provides a more
detailed update to the interim guidance produced for the profession in June
2006. Local
Copy 5 Feb 07 |
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GPC
Guidance – Charges to NHS Patients – Jan 2007 Private practice is still significantly restricted under the GMS
contract. GMS regulation 24,
subsection 2, as set out at appendix 1, prevents contractors from charging
their patients for most services. There
are however instances, as set out in this guidance, where charges may be
made. Schedule 5 of the National Health Service (General Medical Services
Contracts) Regulations 2004 lists the strictly limited circumstances in which
GPs may charge fees for providing treatment to their NHS patients. These
provisions are listed in appendix 2.
In addition to the circumstances which apply to all doctors, Schedule
5, regulation 24 sets out that dispensing doctors
may charge a fee for the supply of drugs which are either restricted or
prohibited from being ordered on an NHS prescription, to NHS patients. In the current climate, there is an
increasing tendency for private companies to provide services to NHS patients
and the BMA as a consequence is receiving a growing number of queries in
relation to the topic. This guidance seeks to address those and to outline
the circumstances when it is allowed for charges to be made to NHS patients. Local
Copy
5
Feb 07 |
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BMA Professional Fees Committee -
Guidance for negotiating fees for Locum services in General Practice In
the past the BMA published a range of ‘suggested fees’ for
locums, but in 1999 the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) advised that publication
of these fees was anti-competitive in the context of the Competition Act 1998.
As a result the fee guidance, which had been published as Fee Guidance Schedule (FGS) 12, Fees for
GP Non-principals, was withdrawn and guidance issued to BMA staff that no
advice could be given to members on suggested fees for sessional
GPs.
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QOF
Implementation: Business Rules The business rules on this site are for use with the
revised QOF which came into operation on 1 April 2006. This is the
officially published version and should be used for all matters relating to the
technical requirements for correctly recording QOF information on the new,
revised and unchanged indicators. Version 9 of the QOF business rules/read
codes is now available at the following address: http://tinyurl.com/n9yto
or www.primarycarecontracting.nhs.uk/145.php 5 Feb 07 |
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Implementation
of VAT on medical services – 30 Jan 2007 Please see below from the Professional Fees Committee of the
BMA. HM Revenue and
Customs formally announced that implementation of the VAT ruling on medical
services (Dr D’Ambrumenil judgment) will take
effect from 1 May 2007, subject to House of Commons approval.
http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/VATonmedicalservices or http://tinyurl.com/2ggdlc
HMRC
have given the medical profession three months notice to prepare for
implementation on 1 May 2007. See - http://tinyurl.com/hyfwa LMC advice
– if you think you are going to be or might be liable be please discuss
with your accountant ASAP 5 Feb 07 |
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Revised GPC
Guidance - Focus on… the Patient Experience Survey (PES) - posted 8 Dec October 2006 (updated December 2006) This guidance
note has been produced by the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee
(GPC) to help GPs and Local Medical Committees (LMCs)
understand the development of the Patient Experience Survey (PES) that was
introduced as part of the 2006/07 GMS contract review in England only to
measure achievement of the Access DES. This guidance note should be read in
conjunction with the contract guidance ‘Revisions to the GMS contract
2006/7 – delivering investment in general practice’ available on
the BMA website and the ‘Focus on access’ guidance note PDF
Copy |
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New “Physiotherapy
Clinical Policy for Sickness Certification of Patients with Musculoskeletal
Problems” The lead physiotherapists
from Devon PCT, Northern Devon Healthcare Trust, South Devon Healthcare Trust
and Torbay Care Trust have been working together to produce a definitive
guidance on the above process. The
main aim was to ensure that patients who are having their simple
musculoskeletal problems managed by the Physiotherapy service are:
Training
for the physiotherapists began on the 1st December 2006 and should be rolled
out to all areas shortly. Please note
Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust was involved in the process but opted to
conduct a small pilot, hopefully the policy will come on stream for the whole
county early next year. PDF
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The General Practice Physical Activity
Questionnaire (GPPAQ)
- posted 8 Dec
DH - The General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire is
intended for use in adults (16 - 74) years in routine general practice to
provide a simple, 4-level Physical Activity Index (PAI) reflecting an
individual's current physical activity. The index can be cross-referred to
Read codes for physical activity and can be used to help inform the decision
as to when interventions to increase physical activity might be
appropriate. http://tinyurl.com/ydwa7p
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New
PBC Guidance from the Department of Health for 2007-08 - posted 8 Dec The DH has produced 2 useful updates on PBC, the
GPC is currently reviewing the publications and they will be commenting on
the guidance shortly. |
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DH Briefing Paper -
Access to Health Care - posted 8 Dec Can choice for all
improve health for all? The evidence on whether NHS patients can and should
become consumers of health care This
briefing paper outlines the main findings of a review to assess the extent
and nature of the evidence available on patient choice and its impact on
equity, efficiency and quality within the NHS. It was commissioned in 2004 by
the NHS Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Research and Development
Programme and carried out by researchers at Devon LMC was interested to see that one
of the main findings was "There is no evidence that giving patients
greater choice will, in itself, improve the quality of health care. Some studies suggest that increasing choice
may result in deterioration in the quality and cost-effectiveness of
services. |
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Fit to Lead - a review of the Primary Care Trust -
posted 8 Dec The DH has launched a
consultation document called 'Fit to Lead' which is a review of the Primary
Care Trust Professional Executive Committee. PDF Copy |
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BMA Professional Fees Committee guidance on the completion of health
reference forms for prospective registrants with the General Dental Council -
November 2006 - posted 8 Dec The General Dental Council (GDC) has
introduced a requirement that states all prospective registrants for clinical
practice must have a health reference form completed by a doctor, or in some
circumstances a supervising dentist. All dental professionals applying for registration
or restoration with the GDC must provide certain information about their
health. This applies to dentists as well as dental care professionals (DCPs) including dental hygienists, dental therapists,
dental nurses, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians and
orthodontic therapists. PDF
Copy |
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GPC Focus on….
Excessive Prescribing Annex
8 of the Revisions to the GMS Contract 2006-07 ‘Excessive or
inappropriate prescribing: guidance for health professionals on prescribing
NHS medicines’ is a document aimed at helping LMCs
and PCOs encourage appropriate and cost-effective
prescribing. The
GPC is aware of cases where PCOs and LMCs seem to be taking a different view on what is
excessive prescribing, and in some cases PCOs are
making financial threats to practices.
The GPC have suggestions on how best to understand issues around
excessive prescribing in practice, and what is or is not possible within the
regulations – PDF |
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URGENT Focus on….the Patient Experience Survey
(PES) - October 2006 To help GPs and Local Medical Committees (LMCs) understand the development of the Patient
Experience Survey (PES) that was introduced as part of the 2006/07 GMS
contract review in England only to measure achievement of the Access DES - PDF This
is a very hot topic and is being discussed on Devon Voice |
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GPC Guidance - On Exception Reporting Exception reporting was introduced into the Quality and Outcomes
Framework (QOF) in order to allow practices to pursue the quality improvement
agenda and not be penalised, where, for example, patients do not attend for
review, or where a medication cannot be prescribed due to a contraindication
or side-effect. It has become clear that a variety of
interpretations and applications of the nationally defined exception
reporting criteria are possible. NHS Employers and the BMA agreed to issue
further guidance regarding what constitutes good practice in exception
reporting (see Revisions to the GMS Contract 2006/07, paragraph 1.23). This
guidance is designed to provide additional clarity in order to help maintain
a consistent approach to exception reporting by practices, PCOs and QOF assessors. - PDF |
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GP Registrars
e-bulletin, October 2006 Welcome
to the third issue of the GP registrars e-bulletin, in which we aim to bring you
news of some of the major issues facing registrars today, as well as an
update of the ongoing activities of the GP registrars subcommittee. - PDF |
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A CAUTIONARY TALE FROM CORNWALL Dr |
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GPC Guidance - GP Returners - October 2006 - posted 4 Oct Intro - In order to work as NHS GP
in the UK, a doctor needs to be on the GMC’s new GP register, and be on
a PCO’s Performers List in the country where
they are working or intend to work. Up until earlier this year funding was available in England for the GP returners’ scheme. This was an excellent mechanism for encouraging qualified GPs (particularly those who had taken a career break for family reasons) back to work. It provided a funded placement for the returning doctor normally for six months on a full-time basis or 12 months part-time in a practice experienced in offering support and training. It also represented very good value for money to the NHS. Unfortunately, the funding for the GP returners’ scheme has been withdrawn by the English Department of Health, although some deaneries have retained local sources of funding for returners’ schemes. The BMA has made numerous representations about the withdrawal of the funding to the Health Department, including a meeting with Lord Warner, Health Minister. We are also seeking to publicise the advantages of the scheme. – Full PDF copy of Guidance |
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GPC Guidance for GPs - Primary
Medical Services Contracts: Advertising and Appeal -
posted 26 Sept Dear LMC There is considerable
variation in practice regarding the advertisement of primary medical services
contracts. This paper discusses requirements for advertising and outlines
appeal mechanisms for parties that feel the tendering process has been unfair
or obscure. GPC would like to be kept informed both of any problems that
cannot be resolved locally and of examples of successful resolution of issues
that could be used as examples of good practice. Regards - Karen Day - GPC
secretariat – PDF
Copy |
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GMS
dispensing quality payment scheme SFE Amendment -
posted 26 Sept Dear LMC,
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Rural
Proofing the new GMS Contract
- posted 26
Sept This
report examines the new GMS contract from the rural perspective. Primary care
is an essential part of health service delivery and in rural and remote parts
of the |
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(GPC) Issues regarding sending attachments to GP records in electronic form - posted 5 Sept This
is advice from the Joint GP IT Committee (JGPITC) of the General Practitioners
Committee (GPC) of the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). This
document is not designed to be a definitive guide regarding the electronic
transfer of documents relating to the GP held patient record, but merely to
list the areas that need to be considered. It
is limited to the transfer of electronic documents (not the core record)
between practices, or from practice to PCT, where the documents are not also
being sent in hard copy. - Link |
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(GPC & DOH) ‘Health reform in This
commissioning framework is split into two parts; the main document and an
annex, which contains the bulk of information relevant to LMCs
and GP practices. This GPC analysis
seeks to highlight the new and/or important developments in policy that will
be relevant to GPs/LMCs. |
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NHS Pensions Newsletter – NHS Pension Benefits
& Retirement (TN 14/2006) This
letter contains important clarification about NHS Pension benefits and the
rules regarding qualifying for retirement benefits. Following a number of
recent enquiries, discussions have been held with the Department of Health
who have confirmed that the underlying requirement of the NHS Pension Scheme
Regulations is that all Scheme members must demonstrate a clear intention to
retire from the NHS before NHS pension benefits are awarded. - Link - External |
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(GPC) Identifying services that should not be
provided by GPs under primary medical services GPs
should not be asked to accept overall clinical responsibility for patients in
secondary care institutions or for those in any setting where the clinical
needs of the patient fall outside the normal skills of GPs. On
several occasions in the past, the GPC has been made aware of GPs being asked
to provide services to patients residing in institutions or homes where the
type of services expected do not fall under the responsibility of primary
care. At the margins between secondary
and primary care, most typically in various types of long-stay psychiatric
institutions, it is sometimes difficult to define in any absolute sense where
responsibility for patient care lies.
This is not in patients’ best interests. Care
for patients in intermediate care can also present problems of poorly-defined
professional remits. This problem is
salient in the light of the trend to discharge relatively high-dependency
patients from hospitals to other institutions. Although GPs often provide vitally
important care for patients in intermediate settings, the care these patients
need will sometimes go beyond that which most GPs are trained, or contracted,
to provide. With
this in mind, this short guidance document has been put together to help
doctors decide whether or not the patients they are treating in institutions
and residential homes fall under standard primary medical services contracts. - Link |
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(GPC) Guidance on the implications of the new age
discrimination legislation - posted 5
Sept The
Employment Equality (Age) Regulations are due to come into force from October
2006. The regulations are complex,
cover all areas of employment and apply to both ‘workers’ and
partners. They will make it unlawful
to discriminate against any person on the grounds of their actual or
perceived age. Employers need to
ensure that they make themselves fully aware of all the relevant provisions. - Link |
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As part of the changes to the
arrangements for dispensing doctors for April 2006, agreed as part of the GM ·
Appendix A – ·
Specification of Requirements for Receiving |
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GPC backs new GP Practice Workload Survey - posted 9
August Family
doctors and health teams at around 4,000 GP Practices across the |
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Professional
Education and Training PEAT at |
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Update of LMC Secretariat
Database The LMC is
updating their database at present and although we receive details from the PCTs this is not always up-to-date. Enclosed
with this newsletter is a “Practice Contact Details” form which
it would be appreciated if the practice manager could complete and return to
this office by the end of June. The form
is also posted on the LMC website - this can be faxed, emailed or posted to Electronic Copy of Document – Doc updated
12 July |
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Good Doctors, Safer Patients: Proposals to strengthen the
system to assure and improve the performance of doctors and to protect the
safety of patients A report by the
Chief Medical Officer This report aims to create a new approach to promoting and assuring
good medical practice and protecting patients from bad practice. The Chief Medical Officer was asked to
undertake this broad review of medical regulation, following Dame Janet
Smith’s inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the murders
committed by Hyde GP, Dr Harold Shipman. The CMO’s
report, Good doctors, safer patients, advises Ministers on measures to
strengthen the arrangements in place for the protection of patients. The
report contains 44 detailed recommendations. Proposed changes include
devolving some of the powers of the GMC to a local level, changing its
structure and function, and creating a new framework for revalidation. The
Secretary of State for Health has welcomed the publication of Good doctors,
safer patients and has launched a period of consultation. http://tinyurl.com/hhfy7 - Local Copy (Please note this is 218 page document) |
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PCC (Primary Care Contracting) - NEW DES New DES http://tinyurl.com/g757m - Local Copy - posted 24 July |
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Primary Medical Services ( These Each Primary Care Trust must exercise
its functions under Section 16CC of the Act of providing primary medical
services within its area, or securing their provision within its area (as
part of the discharge of those functions), by establishing (if it has not already
done so), operating and, as appropriate revising the following schemes for
its area:-
Details are set out in the Primary
Medical Services ( - see http://tinyurl.com/nyh88 - Local Copy -
posted 10 Jul |
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Statement of Financial
Entitlements (Amendment) (No.3) The Statement
of Financial Entitlements (Amendment) (No.3) This
amendment introduces four new sections to the SFE reflecting the four new
Annex 3 of the NHSE/GPC agreement listed the new
payments. Attached is a copy of that
Annex with an additional column showing the titles given to each payment in
this SFE amendment. - see
http://tinyurl.com/njpyl - Local Copy - posted 10 Jul
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Our Health, Our Care, Our Community
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Safer Management of Controlled Drugs (
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GPC Guidance - Practice Based Commissioning: This
document is the second in a new series of guidance notes from the GPC on PBC. For the
most part, the series is aimed at practices who intend to take on a level of
commissioning activity wider than the scope of the ‘Towards practice
based commissioning’ |
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NHS Primary Care Contracting Extract and round
up of recently produced documents - www.primarycarecontracting.nhs.uk National Patient Experience Survey Briefing A national patient experience survey is being
developed to help understand, from the patient’s perspective, how well
Government priorities in primary care are being implemented. The survey
follows the agreement between NHS Employers and the GPC on linking general
practice awards for delivering directed enhanced services for Access and
Choice to patients’ experiences. Survey results will provide a measure
of practices’ achievements in delivering improved access to services
and offering a choice of secondary care provider and will determine the level
of awards due to practices under those directed enhanced service schemes. - http://tinyurl.com/hhbre - Local
Copy as PDF Specialist Provider Medical Services (SPMS) 7 Page Q & A on
SPMS - http://tinyurl.com/rovlf -
Local
Copy as PDF Project Plan template for The following draft practice plans are
available: DES access - Local Copy as
PDF DES choice and booking - Local
Copy as PDF DES IMT. - Local Copy as PDF posted
25 May |
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RCGP/GPC Pandemic Flu - Interim Guidance Infection control for general medical practices -
May 2006 The joint • general
work procedures • use
of personal protective equipment such as surgical face masks and eye
protection • scenario
planning • treatment
of patients in environments other than the GP surgery • how
practices can estimate weekly usage of medical supplies. – Local PDF Copy posted 24
May |
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GPC Guidance -- Personal Administration Fee Some of you may be aware that the Personal
Administration Fee has now altered under the Statement of Financial Entitlements
2006. The GPC has produced a brief description of the changes for
non-dispensing practice, also “A Focus On” document will be
published in due course outlining the changes to |
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GPC
Guidance - Practice Based Commissioning: Consortium Working This
document is the first in a new series of guidance notes from the General
Practitioners Committee (GPC) on practice based commissioning (PBC). For the most part, the series is aimed at
practices who intend to take on a level of commissioning activity wider than
the scope of the ‘Towards practice based commissioning’ Local
PDF Copy– 28 Apr 06 |
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GPC Guidance Information
for PMS practices and APMS GPs following publication of Department of Health
guidance on non-GMS contracting arrangements for 2006/07 – This GPC guidance note seeks to provide
PMS practices and GPs holding APMS contracts for essential services and LMCs with information in light of the Department of
Health guidance. Note that although
the Department of Health guidance does not apply to PCT Medical Services
(PCTMS), there may be implications for these practices. Where applicable, these are set out in this
GPC guidance. Local PDF Copy– 28 Apr 06 |
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GPC
Guidance - Implementing the IM&T Des: Data Accreditation As
part of the agreed changes to the GM Local
PDF Copy– 28 Apr 06 |
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GPC
Guidance - Practice Based Commissioning: The
incentive to free up resources from the indicative budget with practice/consortium-level
control on how funding is reinvested in patient services is a key driver for
practice engagement in practice based commissioning (PBC). In
its current guidance ‘Practice based commissioning: achieving universal
coverage’ (January 2006), the Department of Health recommends that
practices are able to access and redirect at least 70% of freed up resources,
with the remaining percentage to go to PCTs to meet
needs across the PCT area (paragraph 47).
There has been some confusion however over the interpretation of
paragraph 48 which states that ‘…as a last resort, these
resources may be used to cover PCT overspends’ and whether ‘these
resources’ refers to 100% of freed up resources, or just the PCT’s share. Local
PDF Copy– 28 Apr 06 |
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GPC
Guidance - Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) The
government is currently initiating far-reaching reform of health services
organisation and delivery. Its reforms
are based on a philosophy of diversification of health care providers,
patient choice and competition and include initiatives in primary care such
as practice based commissioning, choose and book and Alternative Provider
Medical Services (APMS). APMS
in particular has the potential to alter radically the face of primary care
in the Local
PDF Copy– 28 Apr 06 |
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NHS Connecting for Health Primary Care
Guidance A new 19 page guidance - NHS Connecting
for Health, an agency of the Department of Health, is driving forward the
implementation of the Government’s Information Technology strategy for
the NHS. The agency is developing and implementing a new generation of
integrated systems across organisations to enable people treating patients to
have secure access to the information and services that they need to support
patient care. These changes will require a new approach to the use of IT by
those who work in general practice, paying special attention to accuracy and
completeness of electronic patient health records so they are fit for
sharing. The new tools will have real benefits for you in your
patients’ care, administrative support processes and in your budgetary
work. This publication gives an overview of developments that will take
primary care to another level in the provision of high quality patient
focused services. It describes what is going on and gives practical steps and
advice on what to do next. Local PDF Copy
– 28 Apr 06 |
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GPC
Guidance - Focus on… SFE Changes
2006-2007 ( This brief
note summarises the most significant changes to the Statement of Financial
Entitlements (SFE) for 2006-2007 in |
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Commissioning a Patient-led NHS: Outcome of Local
Consultation Press
release by the Local PDF Copy – posted 7 April |
GP BulletinThe GP bulletin is a monthly
information update for GPs. It provides resources on health policy and
practice for the primary care audience, including practice managers and
nurses. Current GP Bulletin Apr 2006 - http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/21/22/04132122.pdf
Early editions can be found at - http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Bulletins/GPBulletin/fs/en – posted 7 April |
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GPC
Guidance - Referrals to Complementary Therapists This guidance has been produced in
response to evidence of a growing interest amongst patients in the use of
complementary therapies, whether by self referral or GP referral, and amongst
GPs and other health care professionals in offering such treatment. Several private health care providers now
offer cover for various complementary therapies, on condition that the
patient is referred to the therapist by their GP. Local
PDF Copy – posted 6 April |
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GPC
Guidance - NHS LIFT - Local Improvement Finance Trust ( This
guidance is aimed at General Practitioners who are considering entering into
occupation of premises built or refurbished under an NHS LIFT Project. This
guidance provides an overview of how NHS LIFT operates and suggests various
aspects of LIFT schemes that GPs should consider fully before agreeing to
participate in any LIFT Project. Local
PDF Copy – posted 6 April |
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GPC
Guidance - The Suspended GP Performer - Guidance for GPs The GPC
produced guidance on suspended GPs in 2001.
Since then, the legislative frameworks for both GP contracts and the
GMC have changed. This guidance seeks to
provide LMCs and GPs with authoritative guidance on
the implications for, and actions required by, a suspended GP performer. |
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GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC) NHS Connecting for Health has published
its 'Proposal for GP Systems of Choice.' This proposal is currently
under consideration by the Department of Health and, once agreed, will become
the basis upon which primary care trusts will continue to support
the provision of clinical IT systems for GPs. |
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GPC News March 2006 Appendix
1 - Negotiators Report Appendix
2 - PMS Contracts and Employers Superannuation Guidance |
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Focus on… Access ( This
guidance note has been produced by the General Practitioners Committee (GPC)
to help GPs and Local Medical Committees (LMCs)
understand the changes and developments that have been made to the GMS
contract for 2006/07. Local PDF
Copy |
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Learning
from ICG The Implementation Coordination Group
(ICG) was first established as an interim arrangement to deal with problems
during the implementation phase of the new GMS contract. It was
re-established in response to calls from LMCs for
involvement from the GPC and the Department of Health in local disagreements
with PCOs that could not be resolved locally and
which were inappropriate for formal dispute resolution procedures. The ICG
meets monthly and comprises of a negotiator from the three National
negotiating parties – Richard Armstrong (Department of Health), Philip
Grant (NHS Employers Organisation) and Hamish Meldrum
(GPC). The ICG deals with both local and national problems arsing from the
interpretation of the GMS contract regulations and guidance and provides a
final recommendation on matters raised. This document shares learning from
recent decisions to allow learning from these cases across the wider NHS. |
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Read Codes and Business Rules for
New QoF 2006/07 Dear LMC Colleague The final version of the Datasets and
Business Rules for the QuOF for next year has been
approved. This includes all the codes, and how they are applied. For each
area there are two documents - one for Read 4 byte codes, the other covers
Read 5 byte, Clinical Terms Version 3 (CTV3) and SNOMED-CT. This means that
there are 42 separate documents in total.
Otherwise individual documents in 'PDF' format (c.
100K each) can be downloaded from: http://tinyurl.com/hdzkk
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Guidance on non-GMS contracting
arrangements for 2006/07 The attached guidance
supports PCTs and SHAs in
securing similar benefits to those achieved through the General Medical
Services (GMS) contract for 2006/07, from local Personal Medical Services and
Alternative Provider Medical Services contracts. It is essentially a
companion document to recent guidance published by NHS Employers and the BMA,
‘Revisions to the GMS contract 2006/07: Delivering Investment in
General Practice.’ This guidance
will be underpinned by a direction from Secretary of State that will require PCTs and SHAs to review local
contracts and seek to constrain payments made under these in line with the
2006/07 GMS contract. – Local PDF Copy |
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Focus on… Choice & Booking DES This guidance note has been produced by the General
Practitioners Committee (GPC) to help GPs and Local Medical Committees
undertaking the Choice and Booking |
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Focus on… Revisions to the GMS Contract
2006/07 This guidance note has been produced by the General Practitioners
Committee (GPC) to help GPs and Local Medical Committees (LMCs)
understand the changes and developments that have been made to the GMS
contract for 2006/07. Local PDF
Copy |
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GPC Guidance Focus on the Towards Practice based
commissioning |
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Agreement on Changes to the General Medical
Services Contract Letter from
David Colin-Thomé, National Clinical This
letter updates General Practitioners about the changes to the GMS (general
medical services) contract from the 1st April 2006. It covers
the key changes regarding the Choose and Book service and practice based
commissioning. |
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Revisions to the GMS contract for 2006-07 in Agreement has been reached between the BMA and NHS Employers to develop the GMS national contract, following completion of the first part of a two-stage review. Guidance released 19 February - The changes will take effect from 1 April 2006. The revisions will deliver improved services for patients through a contract that is fair to the profession and provides good value for public money. This guidance supports the implementation of the changes to the nGMS contract, 2006-07, that will come into effect from 1 April 2006. A copy of the guidance will be mailed to the primary care leads in all Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, General Practices and Local Medical Committees in England, over the coming weeks and should arrive by early March Full Document (please note this is the 219 page full document) Annex 1 – Quality and Outcomes Framework Annex 2 – Summary of Changes to QOF indicators for 2006/7 by Domain and Indicator Set Annex 3 – New directed enhanced services (DES) – payments summary Annex 4 – Access DES, specification Annex 5 – Choice and booking DES, specification Annex 6 – Towards Practice Based Commissioning DES, specification Annex 7 – Information Management and Technology DES, specification including data accreditation standards Annex 8 – Excessive or inappropriate prescribing – guidance Annex 9 – Managed Lists The new QOF areas and indicators Nine new areas - totalling 138 points - are being introduced to Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for 2006-07. These areas are: dementia, depression, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, palliative care, mental health (new), two new disease registers (obesity and learning disability) and one new organisational indicator (recording patient ethnicity). The General Practitioners Council (GPC) has advised all practices to wait until they receive the relevant guidance before carrying out any preparatory work in readiness for implementation from April 2006. NHS Employers and the GPC will be issuing more detailed implementation guidance in late January 2006. GPC Guidance on QoF GPC
Focus on the Quality and Outcomes Framework 2006 - What Has Changed QoF Points - Removal, Redistribution, Assignment -
Appendix 1 Changes
to the text of Existing Indicators - Appendix 2 Formula Review (extract from NHS Employers - http://www.nhsemployers.org/primary/primary-702.cfm) New GMS Q and A - Local Copy |
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The Working in Partnership Programme The Working in Partnership Programme (WiPP) is a national programme established under the new GMS contract in 2004 with the remit of developing a strategy to use clinicians’ time effectively whilst improving the availability of services for patients. Any Volunteers - This can be a practice, a locality or a PbC group - PDF |
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Primary Care Development Scheme For the financial year 2005/06 the DH announced a change to the former “Golden Hello” scheme. This scheme had made awards of £5k or £10K to new GP principals or new Salaried GPs on taking up their first job. The revisions to the scheme are to remove the automatic eligibility to a payment and replace this with a local scheme to address improved GP capacity in disadvantaged areas – Local Guidance |
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GPC Guidance on Referral Management Frequently Asked Questions – Local Copy There is currently considerable concern about
referral management and related organisational arrangements. Models of
referral management vary across the This short paper was developed with the assistance of the medical defence organisations and GMC and answers some of the most frequently asked questions regarding referral management. |
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Influenza Season 2005/06 – Use of Oseltamivir The overall rate of influenza reported to the
Department of Health has exceeded the threshold at which the National |
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The White Paper - OHOCOS 'Our Health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services' Devon LMC Summary Notes for GPs – January 2006 – for more info on OHOCOS see below… |
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Practice Based Commissioning: Early Wins and Top Tips Top tips to support practice based commissioning within and between primary care providers The following tips are based on the practical experience of those involved in setting up practice based commissioning. No doubt there will be others as more practices and other professionals develop expertise. Nonetheless they are likely to be a useful “first base” checklist. There is no expectation that you do everything in this list of tips, rather they are meant to act as a series of prompts. Overriding all of them is one clear imperative: involving patients is crucial to maximising success in practice based commissioning. It is essential that those involved in using various service elements are consulted and can help create solutions and redesign. Local Copy |
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GPC Guidance on Partnership Agreements – Feb 2006 Please note it is not part of the BMA service to provide commercial/management advice to practices or GPs. This guidance is for general use only and mainly concentrates on how partnerships should be considered in the light of any GMS/PMS/APMS contract/agreement together with the basic elements of partnership law. Practices/GPs are strongly urged to seek the specialist advice of accountants and independent lawyers in their relevant country in relation to the more detailed aspects of their partnership agreements, including drafting and the application of tax and accounting. This is especially important where advice is required on whether the arrangement is appropriate to an individual GP or practice’s needs. Local Copy |
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The White Paper - OHOCOS Comments & · BMA responds to Government White Paper on care outside of hospitals – Local Copy · GPC Summary – Ohocos White Paper – Local Copy · White paper newsletter 30 Jan 06 – Local Copy · DH press release 30Jan06 White paper publication – Local Copy · Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt made the following statement in the House of Commons today – Local Copy · Ohocos Executive Summary (4 Pages) – Local Copy · Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services: A brief guide http://tinyurl.com/8wkp6 – Local Copy
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The White Paper 'Our Health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services' This White Paper sets a new
direction for the whole health and social care system. It confirms the vision
set out in the Department of Health Green Paper, |
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Ohocos & Yhycys – White Paper Links
Download Deliberative research instruments (PDF, 316K) Download Detailed feedback from seldom heard groups (PDF, 78K) Download Detailed Citizens' Summit polling data (PDF, 47K) Download Devolved listening exercise resource pack documents (PDF, 330K) Download Profile of participants (PDF, 65K) |
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Questions and Answers in relation to the nGMS Produced by the PCC (Primary Care Contracting) – this is an interesting resource and worth a visit http://www.primarycarecontracting.nhs.uk/1.php The Q&A paper is available at www.pcc.nhs.uk/131.php |
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Improving the patient experience: Celebrating achievement: Enhancing the Healing Environment Programme Published in conjunction with The King’s Fund Celebrating achievement: Enhancing the Healing Environment Programme highlights how pleasant, welcoming environments can positively affect patient and staff well-being, hospital environments and therapeutic clinical practice. It includes case studies of nine of the projects and a summary of an evaluation that was commissioned to assess the improvements to the environment, the benefits to patients and staff, and value for money. DH Link - http://tinyurl.com/brfsa |
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GMS Standard Contract (Gateway reference number: 5698) Please note that following publication of the NHS (Primary Medical Services)(Miscellaneous Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2005 (SI2005/3315) (effective from 6/1/06) the GMS standard contract has been redrafted. A revised standard GMS contract, together with a standard variation document for use with all existing GMS contracts, is available at - http://tinyurl.com/9nxvs
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Practice
Based Commissioning: Achieving Universal Coverage The
NHS in Local Copy or http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/73/15/04127315.pdf Implementing Payment by Results Technical Guidance 2006/07 Executive Summary January 2006 It provides a high level explanation of the operation of PbR in 2006/07. Local Copy or http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/73/22/04127322.pdf |
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Advice from the GPC – Allergy recording in GP Clinical Systems – Jan 2006 Introduction - In September we published an advice note regarding the handling of allergies in preparation for the electronic transfer of GP records. This guidance supersedes and formalises that advice. It has been developed after further discussion and consultation with the GP2GP team, users groups, suppliers and the GPC’s legal advisor - Local Copy |
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2nd Edition of the GP Registrars Subcommittee e-Bulletin Via this e-bulletin, we aim to keep you up to date on the key issues facing GP Registars and the work of the GP registrars subcommittee - HTML Version Topics covered in this edition include: * Hours of work for GP registrars * PMETB fees consultation * RCGP Postgraduate Training Committee (PTC) |
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Agreement reached on changes to the national GMS Contract Changes to the national General Medical Services (GMS) contract announced today will be better for patients, fair to the profession and secure good value for tax payers' money. Agreement has been reached between the BMA and NHS Employers to develop the GMS national contract for 2006/07. The agreement includes:
Relevant Documentation:
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National Health Service Act 1977 Updates · Alternative Provider Medical Services (No. 2) Directions 2005 |
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New
Multi-Agency Child Protection Guidelines for these are web based and which can be found on: http://www.devon.gov.uk/child-protection-procedures This guidance replaces the old green folder version. It will be updated at intervals. Please put it on your Desktop. It is important that the new guidance should be accessible to all staff who have contact with children and families. For staff in training it is an excellent learning tool. Previous local serious case reviews into the deaths of children by abuse or neglect have shown a lack of knowledge of local procedures by key staff. There is guidance in the new procedures which will help you in many day-to-day situations in child safeguarding, use it! Explore the web site, for example "Substance use by parents/carers and child protection" in Section 1, an area which is causing increasing concern both locally and nationally. |
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GPC - Guidance on Partnership agreements – May 2004 – PDF Reposted as I lost the earlier version – sorry!! |
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• GPC Guidance - Access to health records by patients - Revised December 2002 - PDF issue raised on VoxPop • Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) and receivership - PDF issue raised on VoxPop Information sheet produced by the Alzheimer’s Society Information Sheet · April 2003 http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/After_diagnosis/Sorting_out_your_money/info_epa.htm |
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GPC - Hepatitis B Immunisation for employees at risk - Guidance for GPs The GPC receives many enquiries about administering Hepatitis B, particularly for occupational health purposes. We recognise that requests for immunisation against Hepatitis B do present considerable difficulties for practices. This guidance summarises our legal advice on the interpretation of the GMS, PMS and APMS Regulations and directions – August 2005 – Local Copy |
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GPC Focus on … (43) GPC Guidance - Focus on (42) GPC Guidance - Focus on Quality Achievement Payments – PDF– Feb 2005 (41) GPC Guidance - Focus on QMAS Final – PDF – Sept 2004 (40) GPC Guidance - Focus on Pensions: An Overview – PDF – Sept 2004 (39) GPC Guidance - Focus on Pensions: Dynamising Factor – PDF – Sept 2004 (38) GPC Guidance - Focus on Pensions: Pension Flexibilities – PDF – Sept 2004 (37) GPC Guidance - Focus on Pensions: Superannuation Contributions - 2nd Update – PDF – Sept 2004 (36) GPC Guidance - Focus on Postgraduate Education after the Postgraduate Education Allowance – PDF - July 2004 (35) GPC Guidance - Focus on Superannuation Contributions – PDF - July 2004 (34) GPC Guidance - Focus on Out Of Hours – PDF - June 2004 (33) GPC Guidance - Focus on (32) GPC Guidance - Focus on Cash to Accruals Conversion Factor – PDF - June 2004 (31) GPC Guidance - Focus on Salaried GPs – PDF - June 2004 (30) GPC Guidance - Focus on Private Practice – PDF - June 2004 (29) GPC Guidance - Focus on Review of the Quality & Outcomes Framework – PDF - May 2004 (28) GPC Guidance - Focus on Payments for Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccinations 2004/05 – PDF - May 2004 (27) GPC Guidance - Focus on Vaccinations & Immunisations – PDF - April 2004 (26) GPC Guidance - Focus on funding for Information Management & Technology - 3rd Ver- PDF – (Apr 04) (25) GPC Guidance - Focus on Patient Registration - PDF – (Apr 04) (24) GPC Guidance - Focus on Exception Reporting - PDF – (Mar 04) (23) GPC Guidance - Focus on the Quality & Outcomes Framework - Update - PDF – (Mar 04) (22) GPC Guidance - Focus on Patient Registration - PDF – (Mar 04) (21) GPC Guidance - Focus on Postgraduate Education - PDF – (Mar 04) (20) GPC Guidance - Focus on the Financial Monitoring of Enhanced Services - PDF – (Mar 04) (19) GPC Guidance - Focus on Standard & Default Contracts - PDF – (Mar 04) (18) GPC Guidance - Focus on The Role of LMCs (Updated) - PDF – (Feb 04) (17) GPC Guidance - Focus on Practice Staff Under The New Contract - PDF – (Feb 04) (16) GPC Guidance - Focus on how to Access Information - PDF – (Feb 04) (15) GPC Guidance - Focus on GMS Indicative Contractor Budgets - PDF – (Feb 04) (14) GPC Guidance - Focus on Choice of Nationally Accredited Systems - PDF– (Feb 04) (13) GPC Guidance - Focus on Enhanced Services – PDF (Updated Jan 04) (12) GPC Guidance - Focus on Health Service Body Status - PDF– (Jan 04) (11) GPC Guidance - Focus on Personal Medical Services - PDF– (Jan 04) (10) GPC Guidance - Focus on Preparing for Implementation PDF– (Jan 04) (9) GPC Guidance - Focus on Practice Premises PDF– (Jan 04) (8) GPC Guidance - Focus on Quality Payments – PDF – (Oct 03) (7) GPC Guidance - Focus on The Role of LMCs – PDF – (Oct 03) (6) GPC Guidance - Focus on Funding New GMS Contract - HTML - PDF (Oct 03) (5) GPC Guidance - Focus on Funding for IM&T – PDF (Sept 03) (4) GPC Guidance - Focus on The Quality & Outcomes Framework – PDF (Sept 03) (3) GPC Guidance - Focus on Nature of Contract & Partnerships – PDF (Sept 03) (2) GPC Guidance - Focus on Out Of Hours – PDF (Aug 03) (1) GPC Guidance - Focus on Enhanced Services – PDF (July 2003) These Focus on Guidance’s can also be found at - http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/__HubGMScontractguidance |
The new General Medical Services (nGMS) Contract and Careers - A view from the Educationalists
Introduction - This position paper compiled by the
General Practitioners Committee's (GPC’s) Education and Professional Development
subcommittee is intended as a resource for GPs and practices and covers the
career structure aspects under the new General Medical Services (GMS)
contract. |
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The Doctor's Support Network (DSN) The Doctor's Support Network (DSN) is a warm, friendly self-help group for doctors who have been troubled at some stage in their lives. This includes stress, severe mental distress, burnout, depression, manic depression, psychoses, eating disorders. This group is therefore well placed to help those who are beginning the slow process of re-establishing themselves after a breakdown or other mental crisis. The group believes that contact with and support from other doctors who have had similar experiences helps recovery. The group also believes that appropriate support offered before a crisis develops helps defuse the situation. Most of all the purpose of the group is to know you are not alone and that other doctors have also had problems and that it is OK to be vulnerable. Moreover we need to remove the stigma and discrimination that prevent people seeking help and make sure that the resources are there when they are needed The group is not group therapy, nor does it have other therapeutic aims, rather it seeks to reduce the isolation and stigma of mental health problems. There
are There is a monthly newsletter and lively email forum. There is a central phone number and all calls are answered by doctors All doctors are welcome to join and the group can be contacted by phoning: 0870 3210642 or email lizzie@dsn.org.uk - http://www.dsn.org.uk |
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We have been contact by various practices for information on the following: • GPC Guidance - Model Contract of Employment for an Assistant GP - PDF • GPC Guidance - Model Contract of Employment for a Retainer Scheme GP – PDF • GPC Guidance - Next Steps for Newly Qualified GP Registrars – PDF • GPC Guidance - Partnership Agreements – PDF • GPC Guidance - Supporting Practice Autonomy - PDF • Confirming & Certifying Death
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Various
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Implications of Changing Skill Mix – Is this the panacea for GPs?
– PDF •
Confirming and Certifying Death – •
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Significant Event Audit Link - Dr Jonathan Stead ~ RDSU at the • LMC Survival Guide HTML |
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