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PMS contract holders to receive same funding uplift as GMS counterparts

PMS practices will receive the same overall funding uplift as GMS practices, including the 0.28% DDRB rise and reinvestment of money from retired QOF indicators.

NHS England announced today that PMS practices will benefit from changes in the GMS contract that saw money removed from the QOF and direct enhanced services and invested in the Global Sum.

GP leaders said there had been fears that the locally-agreed PMS contract holders would be denied the various increases in funding to the Global Sum, including the 0.28% DDRB award that was described as a ‘kick in the teeth’ by the GPC.

As part of the GMS contract agreement, 341 QOF points were retired – including the unpopular erectile dysfunction indicator for diabetes and lifestyle checks for hypertension – with 238 points reinvested in the Global Sum or new and existing enhanced services.

In the past, PMS practices have not always seen the benefits of changes made to the contract.

However, NHS England’s ‘Implementing the contract changes 2014/15’ document – published today – stated: ‘All GMS practices will… see a rise in the global sum price per weighted patient, reflecting the reinvested funds. The remaining points are reinvested in existing or new enhanced services.’

‘The reduction in national QOF funding will therefore impact on PMS and APMS practices participating in the QOF and following the principle of reinvestment in core funding means an equivalent uplift should apply.’

GPC and NHS England had also agreed to reinvest funding into the Global Sum from retired enhanced services, including the £12m remote care monitoring scheme and the £24m patient online access scheme, which will now become a contract requirement.

NHS England confirmed that PMS practices would receive this uplift too. It said: ‘This [enhanced service] reinvestment supports the additional workload associated with new contractual responsibilities (e.g. patient online access, Friends and Family Test).’

‘As PMS and APMS practices also provide the relevant enhanced services and will be subject to the same contractual requirements, the increase will also apply.’

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the GPC and a PMS partner in Stanmore, London told Pulse that the news would be a welcome reassurance to practices who have missed out on uplifts in previous years.

He said: ‘Given that PMS is our local contract, and given that our national negotiations are for GMS contract, there’s always been a worry and concern that what is negotiated for GMS doesn’t, in statute, have to apply to GMS.’

‘Therefore I think this will come as reassurance to practices where in previous years even pay uplifts have not been awarded to PMS practices, where they have been awarded to GMS.’