A cash-strapped PCT is targeting savings of £32.50 per patient in primary care as it struggles to meet the QIPP agenda, Pulse has learned.
Mid Essex PCT believes GPs in a 10,000-patient practice need to save £325,000 over a year if their targets are to be met, board minutes reveal.
The PCT said the ‘immense' scale of the problem might prevent GPs getting on board with the savings, minutes from last month's meeting show.
'This may look more achievable when noting that a practice of this size has influence over an approximate £11m spend.
‘There is also a need to look at the role of primary care and consider how practices might re-focus their services more appropriately to the needs of their practice population,' the PCT said.
Dr Brian Balmer, chief executive of Essex LMCs, said: ‘The PCT has an unfortunate way of expressing themselves but they will need much better sign-up from GPs. It's interesting that it's now putting the emphasis on the practice. It is very poor at developing real GP commissioning, as it only aims to have clinicians within a PCT-type structure.'
