DH 15 November 2013
- Under changes to their contract with the NHS, GPs will oversee personalised care plans integrating all services, so the frail and elderly are better cared for in the community, reducing hospital admissions.
- GPs’ new responsibilities will include:
- offering patients same-day telephone consultations;
- offering paramedics, A&E doctors and care homes a dedicated telephone line so they can advise on treatment;
- coordinating care for elderly patients discharged from A&E;
- regularly reviewing emergency admissions from care homes to avoid unnecessary call-outs in future; and
- monitoring and reporting on the quality of out-of-hours care.
- Other key changes include:
- QOF will be reduced by 341 points, of which 238 will be transferred to core funding and 103 to Enhanced Services
- Seniority will be removed over a six-year period, with a redistribution of released funds to all practices as an addition to core funding
- The introduction of a new Enhanced Service on unplanned admissions
- Three of the four imposed Enhanced Services from 2013-2014 will be removed
- New IT systems requirements will be introduced, including the ability for patients to book appointments online and access their Summary Care Record.
- See a summary of the new contract on the BMA website or NHS Employers website.
