Prescription Charges
This full list of NHS charges from 1 April 2013, includes the prescription charges increase, in England, from £7.65 to £7.85. The BMA continues to call for prescription charges to be scrapped in England in line with the policy in the devolved countries.

Vault Cytology
We would like to re-iterate our advice to practices, in that this work should never be delegated to GPs and that GPs should not to feel pressured to undertake the recall and continued surveillance for their patients, whose indication for ongoing vault smears will have been a malignant diagnosis. In 2011, the Advisory Committee for Cervical Screening and the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (BSCCP) confirmed that the responsibility for follow up care of women who require vault cytology lie with their gynaecologist, not their GP. There is still some flexibility so GPs who wish to continue this practice, can do so on a case by case basis in agreement with their local gynaecologist, but that there is no contractual requirement for GPs to do this. Subsequently, NHS Cancer Screening Programmes have reconfirmed that ‘gynaecologists are expected to take individual responsibility for a woman’s follow up and if they wish the woman’s GP to undertake cytological follow up, they would expect that to be organised between them and the GP on an individual basis’. We believe that this could still be interpreted as if gynaecologists have the discretion to delegate cytological follow-ups to GPs. This would be unsafe and clinically inappropriate, and, therefore, dangerous for patients.

Revalidation Guidance
This guidance on revalidation, provides clarification on how the GPC expect the process to work and deals specifically with some of the practical questions that are arising as revalidation is implemented.

GMS/PMS Regulations
Amendments to the GMS contract and PMS agreement regulations coming into force on 1st April 2013 have now been published.

DWP Fit Note Guidance
The DWP has published revised guidance on usage of the GP fit note. The guidance provides information on completing each section of the fit note, using case studies to illustrate different situations that may arise.

Display Energy Certificates
The DH has confirmed that practices should show Display Energy Certificates. The Department for Communities and Local Government has published this guidance which states ‘a DEC and advisory report are required for buildings with a total useful floor area over 500m2 that are occupied in whole or part by public authorities and frequently visited by the public’. Further, general, details are available on this website.