The CQC has announced a 2.5% increase to GPs’ annual registration fees starting from tomorrow, equating to around £15 per practice on average.
The regulator said the increase – which applies to all providers, except for adult social care and dental services – was to cover its own increased costs. Providers of adult social care received a 1.5% increase while fees for dental services were unchanged.
The annual charge is calculated depending on practice size and the number of premises, with an average GP practice of 6,000 patients paying £665 – an increase of around £15.
Practices with a list size of more than 15,000 patients will have to pay £870, and fees for GP providers who operate from more than one premise range from £1,230 to the top rate of £15,375 for PMS or out-of-hours providers with more than 40 premises.
The CQC said that the variation in cost for providers reflects ‘current levels of cost recovery’ and follows a consultation on fees which began in September last year and was approved by the health secretary in March.
The regulator’s chief executive, David Behan, explained: ‘As a result of the consultation we ran last year, this is the decision we have made for the year 2014/15. We will undertake a review in the year ahead and consult again regarding next year’s fees in the autumn.’
‘We will continue to review fees in consultation with stakeholders, whilst ensuring that we are delivering value for money.’
The 2.5% increase in fees far outstrips the 0.28% pay uplift practices were given as part of the DDRB pay award.
