NHS England has announced that it will begin the procurement process for a ‘significant number’ of alternative private medical services (APMS) contracts in the new year, and has already begun moves to promote the contracts with private healthcare providers. Continue reading
According to a recent survey, more than three-quarters of GPs do not believe that the profession should give up its independent contractor status and become salaried by the NHS. Continue reading
The fees charged to GP practices by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are set to rise by 2.5 per cent from April 2014, but could double in years to come as the organisation aims to recover the costs of regulation from registration fees. Continue reading
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has unveiled a £50m pilot scheme for doctors’ surgeries to open until 8pm seven days a week in a bid to make the hours more convenient for patients and to take the pressure off overstretched A&E departments. Continue reading
The British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS England are at loggerheads over GP funding, with the BMA calling for at least an uplift in line with inflation, while NHS England says that any uplift would have to be limited to a maximum of 1 per cent. Continue reading