Value Based Clinical Commissioning Policy
Public Health Shared Services have shared this revised Value Based Clinical Commissioning Policy for the Individual Funding Requests (IFR) in the North East and Cumbria. This joint policy has been adopted by South Tees CCG and Hartlepool and Stockton CCG and has been operational since January 2014. The IFR process is led by NECS. Public health has been supporting the review of the policy as part of the public health core offer to CCGs.

BMA Collaborative Working Survey
Nationally, there has been significant interest recently in GP practices working as part of formal or informal networks or federations to maximise productivity, cost efficiencies and meet future challenges. At the same time, GPs have rightly expressed that such collaborative models must retain the essential values of general practice, as well as giving opportunities to all categories of GPs. Models have already been established in some areas, discussions are emerging in others, while many practices have not felt the need to consider collaborative working yet. In light of this, the GPC would like all GPs to fill in this survey so they can establish the current landscape. The survey should take no more than two or three minutes to complete and your responses will inform the GPC on how best to support practices and GPs wishing to work in groups. The GPC have also produced guidance on forming alliances for GPs and practices, which includes illustrative case studies and details the practical considerations and first steps you will need to take. This resource is intended for England, but its contents can be applied across the UK. Further guidance on sharing practice staff is also available.

Message from GPC Sessional GP Chair
As we face one of the biggest periods of change to affect general practice, national and local representation of sessional GPs has never been more important – and the BMA’s sessional GPs subcommittee, which I chair, is actively working on your behalf.

We have seen the formation of clinical commissioning groups, and now practices are looking to form federations or work in collaborative ways. If we want to take control of our future, it is essential that sessional GPs engage with these changes. Representation of sessional GPs at local medical committee (LMC) level (across the country) remains limited, yet involvement in your LMC is one of the most important ways for sessional GPs to understand and influence what happens at a local level. Now is the time to stake your claim and secure your future in a general practice that upholds the standards and principles that we value as GPs.
To stay up to date with these changes, which directly affect you, I urge you to visit the sessional GPs subcommittee webpage, which includes information about local sessional GP groups and links to individual BMA sessional GP support.
Best wishes,
Vicky Weeks
Chair, GPC Sessional GPs Subcommittee Chair