Delegates at the annual British Medical Association (BMA) local medical committees conference rejected calls to abandon pay negotiations through the Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) but ruled against a return to direct pay negotiations, contracts and conditions with the NHS. Continue reading
The major cities across England will be invited to control their own health budgets, as Chancellor George Osborne confirmed last week that he will be extending his Manchester devolution offer nationwide. Continue reading
The General Practitioners’ Committee (GPC) is urging the new Government to keep their election promises and tackle the crisis of workload and recruitment within the GP profession, otherwise, they warn, the system could collapse. Continue reading
According to a recent report, the new £1m lifetime limit on pensions will prevent senior medical staff from building their retirement fund, giving them less motivation to keep working beyond their fifties. Continue reading
The largest-ever survey of GPs, entitled The Future of General Practice, has revealed that more than a third are considering retiring from the profession within the next five years, while many want to go part-time. Continue reading
Incorrect data returns from an IT supplier will mean that all GP practices in England will have their Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) payments recalculated by as much as 2 per cent, although it is not known at the moment whether this will be more or less than GPs’ own estimates. Continue reading
Funding of varying amounts is to be made available to over 1,000 GP practices across the country for premises projects during the 2015/16 tax year, either for new buildings or improvements to existing facilities. Continue reading
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has confirmed that mental health services in England will receive £1.25bn in next week’s Budget, mainly to help vulnerable children and young people. Continue reading
A Freedom of Information Act request by Pulse magazine has revealed that there has been a 500 per cent rise in practices approaching NHS managers for advice on closing or merging their practices over the past year. Continue reading
NHS England said last month that it will cover the indemnity costs of GPs working out-of-hours shifts until April as part of a pilot scheme, after the body admitted that costs are ‘often a barrier to recruit’. Continue reading