21 April 2016

College Campaign Triggers Major NHS England Announcement on General Practice

The Royal College of General Practitioners has declared that NHS England’s General Practice Forward View, announced today (Thursday 21 April) is the ‘most significant announcement for general practice since the 1960s.’

In her response to the long-awaited document, which answers the major calls of the College’s Put patients first: Back general practice campaign, College Chair Dr Maureen Baker, said: "For too long GPs – and our members – have been undervalued, underfunded, and not recognised for the essential role we play in keeping the NHS sustainable and safe for patients. We genuinely hope that today's news marks a turning point for general practice and the health service.

"The College has been the leading voice in highlighting the intense resource and workforce pressures that general practice is currently facing, and calling for reform. Through our Put patients first: Back general practice campaign we have been calling for 11% of the NHS budget, thousands more GPs, and time for GPs to do the job they signed up for – delivering excellent patient care.

"Today’s announcement is a huge and important step in the right direction, and if implemented correctly, our profession, the wider NHS, and most importantly, our patients will reap the benefits.

"Crucially, it will send a loud and clear message to those about to embark on a career in general practice, and medical students considering it, that their future as a GP will be attractive and secure."

The unprecedented pledge to increase funding for general practice to ‘over 10%’ of NHS budget by 2020 represents a real turning point for our profession.

In a nutshell, it means that general practice in England will be receiving at least £2.4bn of additional recurrent funding each year by 2020.

This represents a 14% real terms increase, approximately double the increase for CCG funded services.

On top of this, the GP Forward View contains various other commitments that will result in additional monies going into general practice, over both the short and long term.

These will be funded out of a new half a billion pound Sustainability and Transformation Fund. Over the next 12 months this will mean:

  • The introduction of a new four-year practice resilience programme from 2016, worth £16m in year one and £40m altogether over four years
  •  £10m investment to support the most vulnerable GP practices
  • Increases in current funding for the GP retainer scheme from May 2016
  • New targeted financial support from May 2016 for doctors returning to work in the areas that have been struggling to recruit
  • A new £112m offer to enable every practice to access a clinical pharmacist, leading to an estimated 640 additional pharmacists in general practice by April 2017 and 1,500 by 2020
  • Roll out of 250 post CCT fellowships by summer 2017 to bolster recruitment in areas of GP shortage
  • The opportunity for all practices to bid for money through CCGs for new IT funding in 2016/17 to help improve patient access and reduce GP workload
  • £16m extra investment in specialist mental health services to support GPs suffering with burn out and stress
  • A new programme of mental health workers starting from 2016/17, which will deliver an extra 3,000 mental health therapists working in general practice by 2020
  • The launch of a return to nursing programme to deliver new practice nurses from 2016/17
  • National training for reception and clerical staff to play a greater role in navigation of patients and handling clinical paperwork, and piloting a new medical assistant role, and
  • An investment of £30m in a ‘Releasing Time for Care’ programme to help release capacity within general practice, together with a raft of measures to tackle bureaucracy.

As well as these national funding commitments, the GP Forward View also states that investment is likely to grow even further as CCGs build community services and develop new models of care.

Taken together, I believe that this means we stand every chance of reaching our campaign target of securing 11% of the NHS budget for general practice by 2020 – which would amount to the biggest increase in funding into our service in a generation.

The package makes an absolute guarantee that no GP or GP practice will be forced to offer routine seven-day access to their services, and states that the level of capacity required on different days of the week will be a matter for local decision makers.

It makes a commitment that CQC inspections for 'good' and 'outstanding' practices will move to a maximum interval between inspections of five years.

And it pledges to bringing forward proposals in July this year to tackle the soaring costs of indemnity.

The GP Forward View also states that NHS England will spend £206m on expanding the general practice workforce by 5,000 doctors and a minimum of 5,000 other members of the team by 2020/21.

Dr Baker, in a message sent to the College’s 50,000 members today, wrote: “Today is a very important day for the future of general practice in England.

"The publication of NHS England’s GP Forward View is perhaps the most significant piece of news for our profession since the 1960s – and a clear recognition of the value of general practice for patients and the NHS.

"In one fell swoop, we are being promised much of the funding and support for general practice that the College has been calling for through our high-profile Put patients first: Back general practice campaign.

"As well as these national funding commitments, the GP Forward View also states that investment is likely to grow even further as CCGs build community services and develop new models of care.

"Taken together, I believe that this means we stand every chance of reaching our campaign target of securing 11% of the NHS budget for general practice by 2020 – which would amount to the biggest increase in funding into our service in a generation.”

She added: “This announcement won’t change this situation overnight, but I hope that it will put on us on the path to a step change in the way general practice is funded and valued across the whole system.

"All in all, today’s announcement is a real commitment to change – and a real sign that the tide is turning for our profession, at long last.”

Dr Patricia Wilkie, President and Chairman of the National Association for Patient Participation said "We are delighted that the Government has listened to the 330,000 patients and members of the public who supported the Put patients first: Back general practice petition.

"This announcement includes proposals to help GP practices deal with issues that local Patient Participation Groups know matter to patients, such as difficulties with appointment times, and poor communication and coordination between secondary and primary care. We believe that patients need to be sure that the care they receive is safe, and of a high standard. We know GPs wish to meet these standards.

"The changes announced today are a sign that change is on its way and are to be welcomed."

Further Information

RCGP Press office: 020 3188 7574/7575/7633
Out of hours: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 50,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.