GPC England has negotiated an update to the GP Contract 2020/21 – 2023/24. This includes revisions to the draft PCN DES service specifications which were published just before Christmas 2019.
Here are the top line changes are:
- The new value of the Global Sum from 1 April will be £93.46.
- The new value of a QOF point will be £194.83.
- A ‘New to Partnership Payment’ of £20,000 plus training support, a locum support scheme, changes to the existing Induction and Refresher Scheme to cover some childcare costs and a new national supporting mentors scheme.
- 100% reimbursement for all roles in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, freeing up the existing £1.50/head to contribute to management support for PCNs, and any monies you may be contributing from your core practice funds.
- Between 2020/21 and 2023/24, the scheme will expand to 26,000 additional roles.
- Funding entitlements increase from £257m to £430m next year and, in 2023/24, from £891m to £1,412m.
- Extra investment will fund new GP training recruitment and retention measures with £20,000 plus training support for every new partner.
- Payment arrangements for vaccinations and immunisations to be reformed.
- QOF to be updated.
- PCN service specifications reduced and improved
- Investment and Impact Fund introduced worth £40.5m in 2020/21.
- Taken together, more funding available at practice level.
Regarding the DES specifications it has been agreed that:
- The volume of Structured Medication Reviews undertaken will be determined and limited by the clinical pharmacist capacity of the PCN.
- The proposed requirement for fortnightly face to face medical input to the care homes is replaced with a requirement for medical input to be ‘appropriate and consistent’ but with the frequency and form of this medical input to be based on local clinical judgement by the PCN.
- The new ‘Care Home Premium’ will provide an additional and specific contribution of £120 per bed per year. This will be £60 in the first year as the requirement to deliver services to care homes will not start until October 2020.
- CCGs will be required to maintain the level of funding they provide for existing LES/LIS (especially in relation to care homes) within primary medical care, with a strong recommendation for this to be for the same use as previously (eg, a care homes LES funding would supplement the PCN care homes service spec). There will be a requirement for reinvestment proposals to be discussed with LMCs.
- It is explicitly written into the DES that PCNs cannot be contractually responsible for any failure by community service providers for non-delivery of their part of the service.
The full document can be downloaded here.
Last updated : 17 Feb 2020