20.03.18
BMA and DHSC agree new £256m deal for GP contracts
The BMA have come to a deal with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the next contract terms for GPs, which will an overall investment of £256m and an interim 1% pay rise.
Separate pay negotiations are set to take place over the summer, but in the interim period the parties involved have agreed to implement a 1% pay uplift and provide an extra £30m to deal with GP indemnity payments.
In addition, there will be changes to the contentious Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), meaning the value of each point has risen from £171 to £179.
Included in the agreement is provision for a review of primary care premises – which will ensure the facilities are “fit for purpose” – and then access to remunerations of up to 100% of the cost if upgrades do need to be made.
In a statement explaining the premises review, NHS Employers, which has worked alongside NHS England and the DHSC on the latest contract, said: “It is recognised that there is a need to undertake a further review of premises used to provide primary medical care in England.
“This review (to commence by the early summer of 2018) will also address some outstanding issues from the review of the premises costs directions.
“The premises review will include, but not be limited to, helping to ensure that premises used for primary medical care are fit for purpose into the future bearing in mind likely service and other developments, and that they promote the recruitment and retention of GP contractors as well as representing value for money. The review will also provide a better picture of the overall position on primary care estates and help to ensure better integration of services into the future.”
Further details of the deal are available here.
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