- Rebuilding General Practice- cultivating local support
The Rebuilding General Practice campaign predates the GP contract dispute and is aimed at rebutting the negative perception of GPs and practices peddled by a hostile media and generating widespread awareness of the real crisis in general practice.
At local level the campaign is aimed at gaining support amongst patients, local councillors etc for investment and development in the family doctor model of general practice.
The campaign has produced materials which local practices can use to promote the message including short videos featuring GPs explaining the value and benefits of the family general practitioner in delivering primary health care, which can be added to the Practice video loop. Additionally, posters and leaflets which patients can read and importantly, carry home to others, have been prepared.
This is an important campaign, and we hope your practice can help in publicising it to your patients. You can download all the videos and leaflets here-
https://rebuildgp.co.uk/campaign-assets/patient-awareness-of-the-crisis-in-general-practice
Let us know if you have difficulty in accessing the materials.
- GPs in Scotland – ballot for collective action.
The BMA is to ballot GPs in Scotland on whether thy wish support collective action over the decline in real terms in investment and uplifts to pay levels.
The present GP contract in Scotland was agreed by the devolved NHS Scotland and BMA (Scotland) in 2018 and is regarded as a step forward in several key areas- a workload control formula, re affirmation of independent contractor status, the creation of MDTs. The Scottish GP contract was set in a broader supportive framework of Primary Care reform.
The burgeoning dissatisfaction with failure to maintain investment levels and real terms practice incomes in Scotland is a salutary lesson for the sustainability of a new GP contract in England.
- Budget 2024: Employer National Insurance increase- reimbursement –
Wes Streeting Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has responded to the Chair of the GPC who has called for the hike in employer N I costs to be reimbursed by the NHS through contract funding. Here is a copy of the letter to Wes Streeting from Dr Katie Bramhall- Stainer and his reply is attached – (those subscribed to our GP Contract and PMs What’s app groups have already had sight of these).
Wes Streeting to KBS re NIC hike
The Secretary of State’s response evasive and particularly unhelpful. Elsewhere he has intimated that the solution to this will be dependent on acceptance of his ‘reform’ measures –
Some may recall that there was no questioning of whether GP contractors were part of the NHS in the period 1993-/2000 when the Employers rates of National insurance were raised and the adjustment to contract funding was made,
See the summary of the speech by Katie Bramhall-Stainer to the LMC (England) conference last week,
The Employer NIC issue has added another grievance to the GP Contract dispute and added to the sense of betrayal of GPs and their practices.
The England Conference of LMCs has called for a strengthening and escalation in the collective actions which the English GPC have called on GPs to take in their contract dispute. We shall cover this in a separate contract dispute bulletin.
4) At least someone in the blogosphere knows the value of GPs-
News and comment from Roy Lilley
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If you should have a comment or query about any item in the bulletin, contact the LMC office at Seftonlmc@seftonlmc.co.uk
Alternatively call J Chattin at 07984160601.