Primary care networks
Practices to form primary care networks through a new network DES (directed enhanced service), building on the core contract.
Medical indemnity
- A state-backed indemnity scheme to cover clinical negligence for all GPs and staff working in NHS GP providers, both in and out of hours.
- Run by NHS Resolution, there is no direct cost to practices or GPs, and means GPs no longer pay spiralling subscriptions.
Funding
In 2019 the GP contract increased by 1.4%, in addition to the funding through networks. This included:
- 2% uplift for GP and staff pay and expenses
- uplift for practices to establish and develop networks
- uplift due to population increase
- adjustment for state-backed indemnity scheme
- increase to value of some vaccinations and immunisations, including influenza, to bring them all up to the same level of £10.06
- £20m recurrent for costs associated with SARs
- £30m for practices to make appointments available to NHS 111
- GPs whose NHS earnings are over £150,000 required to make this public
- new funding formula so the rurality index only applies to patients who live within the practice boundary
- new funding formula so that the London adjustment applies to patients who are actually resident in London
- A QOF (quality outcomes framework) point increased from £179.26 to £187.74.
IT, digital and access
- A programme to digitise paper records, creating complete electronic patient records.
- A digital solution to SARs developed in the next three years, where patients can access their data rather than making a request.
- Practices required to offer one appointment per 3,000 patients, per day, for NHS 111 to book registered patients into following triage.
- Practices must not use fax machines.
Other
- HPV vaccination catch-up for girls will be extended to those aged 25.
- HPV vaccination starts for boys.
- MMR catch-up for 10- to 11-year-olds.
- FP10 will be redesigned (including to take account of GDPR) and a new requirement introduced to annotate scripts, eg ‘SH’ where patients are legally entitled to free prescription for sexual health.
- Practices required to provide an email address and mobile number (for exceptional circumstances) to receive MHRA alerts.
- £2m invested for issues related to Capita recurring, until it is no longer necessary.
- Provisions for GP cover for shared parental leave, in line with cover for maternity/paternity/adoption leave, will be added to the SFE.
- Practices to no longer advertise or host private GP providers with the same core GP provisions that are free on the NHS.