Bulletin 12.04.2011
Patient Participation DES Guidance
The monies released through the reduction in the cost of the extended hours DES will be reinvested into a patient participation DES in England, the aim of which is to promote the proactive engagement of patients through the use of effective Patient Reference Groups and to seek views from practice patients through the use of a local patient survey. This guidance gives more detail on how around £60m of released investment will be available to practices, provided that they successfully meet these requirements, which is equivalent in total to £1.10 per registered patient. The key requirements of the patient participation arrangements agreed by negotiators are that GP practices:
- develop a structure that gains the views of patients and enables the practice to obtain feedback from the practice population, eg a patient reference group
- agree areas of priority with their patient reference group
- collate patient views through a patient survey
- agree an action plan with their patient reference group
- publicise the results of the patient survey
- publicise the actions taken and what is achieved as a result
The GPC has agreed with NHS Employers to increase the extended hours DES in England by one year, to 31 March 2012, and to reduce the payment per registered patient from £3.01 to £1.90. This DH guidance provides further detail and you should have received correspondence from NEPCSA as to how this is being implemented in Tees.
This guidance fully explains the changes made to the Quality and Outcomes Framework which came into effect on 1 April 2011. It should be read in conjunction with this final summary of QoF indicators.
CQC have told the GPC that their local compliance officers will be in a position to engage with practices in May/June 2011 once the dentist’s registration has finished and the compliance officers have had adequate training. The Commission will be holding regional events across the UK in June-July 2011 at which they will explain the application for registration process – these events will be open to all GPs. There are CQC registration toolkits being produced by commercial companies but the GPC is also producing a draft toolkit which has has positive feedback to date – in particular it has been said that its suggestions should already be in place in most practices. We will share this toolkit as soon as we are able.
Leadership in Commissioning Consortia Guidance
Clinical leadership will underpin the success of clinically-led commissioning consortia (CCC). The defining feature of CCCs will be clinicians leading their peers from the front: engaging professionals in thinking and behaving differently in order to improve the health and healthcare of the consortium population in a sustainable manner. The GPC has produced this guidance document on leadership that explores these issues.
Electing Transitional Leadership Guidance updated
This revised version of the GPC’s guidance document “Shadow and Pathfinder consortia: Developing and electing a transitional leadership” has been published.
Payments and Pensions in Consortia
Following a number of recent queries, we can clarify that under the current regulations any payments made to GPs, individual managers or practices from the ‘pathfinder’ and ‘shadow’ consortia will not be pensionable. This is because the consortia do not hold employing authority status. However, as we understand, any work undertaken in the transition period, as pathfinder/shadow GPCC, and paid by the PCT will be pensionable as payment for this is being made through the PCT or NHS resources. Long term advise on pensions for consortia work cannot yet be given as the Government/DH is yet to decide if these consortia will be afforded access to the NHS Pension Scheme (NHSPS).