GP practices to choose from ‘menu’ of options to access new workforce funding
GP practices in Scotland are to choose from a ‘menu’ of workforce options in order access additional funding and ‘enhance GP capacity’, as part of a deal between the Government and the BMA.
The Scottish Government has revealed that the new funding, agreed in October last year, will be given to practices in two tranches, with the first one starting ‘as soon as possible’ this financial year through allocations to NHS boards.
Payments for the first tranche, worth £35m for this financial year, will be distributed to practices ‘proportionately’ based on combined Scottish Workload Formula and Income and Expenses Guarantee payments, the Government added.
As part of the requirements to secure the second tranche – £15m for this financial year – practices will need to set out a plan by mid-May, setting out how they will look to use the funding across the coming year.
They will be able to choose from a ‘menu of options’ (see box) which has been agreed between the Government and the BMA.
Workforce capacity menu of options
A GPs: practices create new permanent GP roles
(i) GP partners
(ii) salaried GPs
B GPs: practices increase Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) of current GPs working in practices through expanding sessional commitment of existing GPs to deliver extra sessions
C GPs: practices reduce pressure in short-term through extra GP locum sessions
D GPs: Practices recruit through new Board-run fixed-term GP fellowship posts. SG would part fund these posts, with practices funding their clinical time in general practice. Fellowships can be used by Practices/Boards to fill posts which are perceived to be more difficult to recruit to (e.g. in rural / deprived areas).
E Other clinical roles and administrative roles: practices increase WTE and / or create new headcount. Where practices cannot increase GP capacity or the assessed need is for another role they may consider recruiting to other clinical staff (e.g. general practice nurses) or administrative roles.
Source: Scottish Government
Practices should work through this prioritised menu starting from A and working through to E if required, and select an option or options that ‘enhance capacity, with overarching focus on GP capacity’, the Government said.
The BMA pointed out that in any of the examples practices ‘may find themselves with active recruitment but no suitable applicants’, and the funding may need to be used for locum cover or temporarily increased internal capacity until recruitment is successful.
It said: ‘It is important that practices reflect this in their intentions reporting for the money, making clear that the resource may be used in one way until such time as an advert is filled, at which point it will be used in another.
‘This is important to ensure that any mismatch between actual use of the money and a practice’s reported intentions for it does not result in difficulties accessing tranche 2 funding.’
The union said that practices will have the opportunity to adjust their intentions for the funding on a quarterly basis, and if a practice has not achieved what it set out to by the end of quarter two, it will be able to access its tranche two funding at whatever subsequent date their intentions are achieved.
The Government said that ‘increasing GP capacity’ is a ‘particular priority’, and that it expects that the funding will be used to prioritise enhancing GP capacity.
It said: ‘Practices should consider the levels of GP input being provided and planned per practice population, assess sufficiency of these, and should have regard to the direction of travel on reforms that seek to assure sufficient involvement.
‘Practices will wish to consider, alongside expansions of GP and GPN capacity, whether practice management and administrative roles also need to be increased.’
The Scottish Government has been clear that the new funding is ‘not a pay award’ and that ‘pay will be managed separately’.
Due to the Scottish Parliament election, a decision on the recent 3.5% DDRB recommendation will not be taken in Scotland until after a new government has been formed.
