Press release: NHS Employers and GPC announce start of formula consultation
09 Feb 2007
NHS Employers and the British Medical Association's General Practitioners Committee today announce the start of a consultation on the results of a review which could lead to changes to the GMS global sum formula for England and Wales.
The formula review group (FRG), a sub-group of the main GMS review team, is undertaking a consultation to seek the views of GPs, PCOs and other stakeholders on a number of proposals to change the formula.
The proposals are the result of over 18 months of work in which the review group conducted a detailed examination of all factors in the current formula and investigated a number of additional factors for possible inclusion in a revised formula.
As part of this work the group has commissioned areas of detailed research projects from independent academic organisations. These are being published as part of the review.
The group is contacting GPs and PCOs for their views on a number of issues including matters to do with any possible implementation and whether or not the formula should include a specific rurality adjustment. The consultation period will run from 9 February to 11 May 2007. NHS Employers and the GPC will then collate and summarise all responses and the joint negotiating team will discuss next steps with a view to putting final recommendations to the English and Welsh health departments.
GPs and PCOs can submit their views on the proposals online via NHS Employers' website at http://www.nhsemployers.org/primary/primary-891.cfm
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Media enquiries:
NHS Employers - please contact Emma Robinson on 020 7074 3307 or
emma.robinson@nhsemployers.org
BMA - please contact Linda Millington on 020 7383 6473 or lmillington@bma.org.uk
Notes for editors
* The FRG is made up of negotiators from NHS Employers and the GPC, representatives from the four UK health departments and independent academics
* The FRG's report, Review of the GMS global sum formula, outlines the process, the research and the recommendations of the review. This report and further supporting technical documentation can be found online at http://www.nhsemployers.org/primary/primary-891.cfm
* The following questions are being asked of GPs and PCOs:
o Should we seek to implement the proposed new formula?
o If implemented, should the new formula be phased in over a number of years or implemented fully from the start?
o Would you wish to see implementation of the new formula even if the resulting redistribution of the same overall resource envelope meant that some practices would lose income?
o Should any caveats be applied prior to any implementation of a new formula?
o Should a revised global sum formula include a rurality adjustment in addition to the Cost of Unavoidable Smallness adjustment?
o Should practices be asked to record data regarding the use of interpreters or the number of patients who do not speak the language of their primary healthcare professional?
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