GPs and health bosses have raised concerns around delays in the publication of a new framework designed to support general practice by providing ‘standardised’ digital systems.
NHS England said that the new Digital Pathways Framework, as part of the GP recovery plan, will ‘make it easier for patients to get the help they need’ with tools including booking, messaging and online consultation components.
In a webinar in January, the commissioner said the framework was expected to go live by this month but no firm date of publication has been set yet.
It will supersede the Digital First Online Consultation Video Consultation Framework which expires in March, with ‘a planned go live prior to this to ensure service and product continuity’, NHS England said.
But practices and ICBs around the country said that the delay in publication mean that they are running out of time to ensure the funding is spent.
During the webinar, one practice asked NHS England: ‘How can we plan to procure existing provision via Digital Pathways Framework if do not know which systems are on the framework? Many contacts are between practices and providers not between ICB and providers.’
Another practice said: ‘What are the timeframes for the updated Digital Pathways Framework? We are running out of time to ensure funding is spent in year.’
In a report on the progress against the GP recovery plan, Frimley ICB said that the delayed Digital Framework ‘will restrict timely delivery’ of the recovery plan, specifically the ability to select more advanced digital tools from the approved provider framework.
In Somerset, the ICB pointed out in its report that the delay ‘further prohibits NHS Somerset embracing the full opportunities’ of the digital recovery plan funding allocation of £0.93 per patient for 2023/24.
‘Whilst NHS Somerset have approached the national team to explore what products can be procured within this envelope of funding, confirmation or guidance has yet to be received,’ their report added.
And Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB also said that the delay ‘may result in delays to implementation of PCN Improvement Plans’.
However, NHS England told Pulse that the funding ‘is not dependent’ on the introduction of the new framework’ and that it has provided guidance to ICBs and practices ‘to assist their buying choices’.
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘Funding for this financial year has been made available for ICBs to ensure practices have high-quality online consultation, messaging and appointment booking solutions, and this funding is not dependent on the introduction of new frameworks to help improve quality and choice over time.
‘NHS England has provided guidance to ICBs and practices to assist their buying choices and will continue to provide support to ensure that opportunities from all new frameworks are maximised when contracts expire.’
The new framework was part of recovery plan measures which were announced along with £240m funding for practices in England to ‘embrace latest technology’.
As part of the same webinar, NHS England also said that more than eight in 10 GP practices now ‘have digital telephony in place’.
However, this week the BMA’s GP committee asked NHS England to immediately pause its cloud-based telephony project, following concerns around ‘skyrocketing’ costs for GP practices.
