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GPs invited to bid for urgent and social care services in first ‘voluntary’ contract

GPs are being invited to bid for the first ‘voluntary’ contract that will see them providing urgent care and out-of-hours services, adult social care and mental health services.

NHS Dudley CCG has launched the procurement process for its GP-led ‘new models of care’ organisation, which will provide both primary and secondary care, making it the first area to lay out the new ‘voluntary’ contract for GPs.

The CCG has published a document outlining which services are to be commissioned for the area’s multispecialty community provider (MCP) that will cover more than 30,000 patients.

However, non-GP organisations will also be able to bid for this contract.

This is the first example of the voluntary GP contract launched by former Prime Minister David Cameron.

The provider, which will become operational from 1 April 2018, will also take charge of some activities currently carried out by the CCG including, financial management, service redesign and medicines management.

According to the CCG’s July board papers, the MCP services will cost a total of £244m, including £25m for primary care contracts and £4.7m for primary care premises. 

Other services that the MCP will take over include:

  • urgent care and primary care out of hours services
  • community based physical health services
  • adult social care
  • all CCG commissioned mental health services and learning disability services
  • emergency admissions from care homes

Dr Steve Mann, GP and clinical executive for MCP development at NHS Dudley CCG, said primary care has responded to the MCP by forming a ‘steering group’ aimed at sharing information with other GPs ‘around the development of the MCP’.

He said: ‘We’ve spent alot of time and effort over the last few years always engaging with our GPs, discussing, not just the MCP, but what the CCG can do in that direction of travel.’

He added: ‘The MCP is a coalition of the willing. People want to make a real difference to healthcare and that is going to be an evolving process. We’re looking at a much longer contract.’

The document outlines the nature of the contract confirming that the MCP contract will be awarded to one entity, manage one whole-population budget and last for 15 years.

Pulse previously reported that NHS Dudley CCG would withhold 10% of funding if health outcomes and patient satisfaction targets are not sufficiently met.