18.03.13
GP contract changes published
The Department of Health has published its response to the consultation on GP contracts.
Some changes have now been made to the original contracts, to maintain current levels of investment whilst improving quality. Minimum Practice Income Guarantee will be phased out over seven years from April 2014; the implementation of two NICE recommendations on QOF (the Quality and Outcomes Framework) will be deferred until 2014/15; QOF reward thresholds will be increased; organisational QOF payments will be discontinued; and up to £10m will be invested annually at GP practices for two new vaccination programmes for rotavirus and shingles.
£164m saved from discontinuing organisational QOF payments will be invested into long-term conditions and dementia.
Extra services will also be commissioned from GP practices; enabling patients to book appointments and repeat prescriptions online; a more proactive approach to identifying patients with dementia; improved care management for seriously ill patients; and new technology to monitor long-term conditions.
All GP practices will receive a 1.32% increase in current funding levels.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Improving care for patients has always been my priority. The GP contract needs to change to make sure the excellent care enjoyed by some patients is more consistent across the country.
“Providing better treatment for people with long term conditions helps save lives and I know GPs will rise to the challenge to make sure standards of care in this country are world class and continue to improve.
“We have listened to GPs and stakeholders and made some changes to our proposals to reflect these views and now feel we are in the right place to go forward.
“I am committed to ensuring that we improve quality of life for people with long term conditions – and I want GPs to lead this change from within their own practices.”
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