Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Deferred
Paragraph: 96
Additional funding required for continuity leads and administrative staff in Primary Care Networks.
Conclusion
NHS England should provide Primary Care Networks with additional funding to appoint a ‘continuity lead’ for at least one session per week, and additional admin staff funding to support the lead in the role. The role of the continuity lead GP would be to support practices within their network to increase the proportion of patients consulting with their named or regular GP, learning from best practice around the country. There should be a specific uplift for areas of high deprivation.
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation but discusses its commitment to the partnership model and existing investments in general practice funding through various schemes, without addressing the specific request for additional funding for PCN 'continuity leads'.
Paragraph Reference:
96
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
Partially accept. The Department partially accepts this recommendation. The Government confirms there is currently no policy to abolish the partnership model, which is the majority model for general practice delivery and works well in many places. We have already invested in growing general practice through the 2019 Five Year Framework contract, the Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme, New to Partnership Payments, and an associated rise in funding. We have responded to the committee’s specific recommendations on GP premises and ability to form limited liability partnerships below. We note the reference to other models of primary care provision, and agree that different localities have varying needs and challenges to address. In response to these, practices can and do choose to organise themselves in different ways to deliver services and we wish to support a range of models of primary care provision, including the partnership model. Commissioners can also choose to commission these providers in different ways to meet the specific needs of their populations.