GP premises transfer scheme suggests Government wants trust-led neighbourhoods, says BMA

Encouraging trusts to take over GP practice premises suggests the Government wants secondary care to lead neighbourhoods, the BMA has warned. 

A scheme allowing NHS trusts to bid for premises owned by NHS Property Services (NHSPS) is currently open, with trusts in some areas given until the end of last week (13 March) to submit expressions of interest. GPs are not able to bid for the scheme.

The BMA GP committee’s practice business policy lead, Dr Clare Bannon, told Pulse excluding GP practices from applying to take over premises means trusts may be in a stronger position to bid for neighbourhood contracts. 

NHSPS-owned GP practices should not have been excluded from the ‘trust-centric’ scheme, and additionally should have been consulted on the scheme before it was announced, she added. 

The Government’s 10-year health plan announced two new neighbourhood contracts establishing single- and multi-neighbourhood providers. Four in 10 neighbourhood health centre buildings to open by 2030 will be created by refurbishing existing premises in the NHS estate.

Dr Bannon said: ‘It does feel like a fairly significant signal (of the Government’s intentions for neighbourhoods) – saying it will be helpful for the shift to neighbourhood level and provide more integrated preventative care.  

‘That’s really concerning to us, because it shouldn’t be trusts leading on this. GP practices that must be leading on neighbourhood health. It’s our bag, it’s what we do every day, and the right place for that to be happening is centred around general practice, not secondary care.’ 

‘There should have been consultation with the practices that are going to be affected. We strongly feel that practices should have been given the option to buy the premises themselves, or other organisations like GP federations may have been best placed as well.  

‘Surely GPs themselves are best placed to know what they need from their own buildings and what they want to get out of their premises.’  

NHS England’s indicative timetable for the transfer scheme gives ICBs until the end of March to review and expressions of interest. 

But some ICBs have set a 13 March deadline for trusts to express interest, a move which Dr Bannon said ‘raises alarm bells’ for the BMA. 

She said: ‘Why is there such a rush? What is the reason behind that? It does make us suspicious as to what what’s going on. Why are they trying to squeeze practices out? Is it to stop GP practices challenging what’s going on and being involved in the process?’ 

Detailed guidance on the contracts has still not been published, prompting the BMA to warn that if GPs ‘remain passive’ neighbourhood contracts will be ‘hosted elsewhere’. 

Last year, South East London ICB appointed hospital trusts, rather than GPs, to lead neighbourhood programmes in each of the six boroughs in the ICB area. 

Pulse has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care to respond to the BMA’s concerns.