Exclusive GP leaders are to seek reassurances over the safeguards in place for patient data being processed abroad by NHS Shared Business Services, a joint venture between the Department of Health and private firm Steria.

Outsourcing of PCT back-office functions to a controversial joint venture between the Department of Health and a private company has led to a sharp drop in performance in transferring GP records, figures obtained by former health minister Ben Bradshaw suggest.

The GPC has hardened its stance on revalidation by insisting that the profession will not support the process unless the Government and GMC can put forward detailed workable solutions to the unresolved problems around funding for remediation and support for sessional doctors.

Exclusive: The Government’s plans for GP commissioning, threats to the NHS pension and successive falls in partners’ take-home pay have led to a sharp spike in the number of GPs leaving the UK to work overseas, according to recruitment agencies.

The GPC has called for salaried GPs and even locums to be given sign-off on all commissioning decisions made by their employing practices, including which GP consortia they join.

GPs have been warned they must take on private work or accept their income will plummet, after the profession was handed what the Government claimed was a net pay freeze but accountants warned was a pay cut of up to 4%.

The Government is to hand GP consortia sweeping new powers to police and dictate funding at constituent practices, including delegated responsibility for overseeing GPs’ contracts.

Exclusive: GPs will be given 'no new money' in their contract for this year, but have been spared an 'APMS-style' central contract being imposed on them by the Government.