This site is intended for health professionals only


#GPnews: NHS England plans for GP indemnity to be released in July

16:10 The GPC chair, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, has claimed that NHS England’s plans to reduce GPs’ indemnity burden will be announced in July.

He said: ‘We are looking at a range of options and we will see where we get to in the coming weeks.’

Dr Nagpaul said one of those options could include direct reimbursement.

He said: ‘It is an option that you have a Government reimbursement. The options range from those GPs who would like the Government to take responsibility for indemnity, so that they have got the cost bill and GPs are covered within it.’

Read the full story here.

14:30 Meanwhile, spare a thought for the organisers of the Health + Care conference in London. Former shadow health secretary and (as far as anyone can be certain at this time) current health minister Alistair Burt were both on the programme. Needless to say, they have both pulled out. Is something happening in Westminster?

13:55 And the row has continued over claims that Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell set up a secret group to shape NHS policy behind the back of the then shadow health secretary Heidi Alexandra. 

Labour MP Emma Reynolds has tweeted saying that she has made a formal complaint to the party’s general secretary over the claims. 

11:05  It appears that health secretary Jeremy Hunt will not run in the leadership contest to be the next Prime Minster – despite saying on Tuesday he was ‘seriously considering’ running for the top job

10:20  A lively discussion has flared up on social media today involving the former shadow health secretary Heidi Alexandra. 

A tweet sent to the Labour MP from the Mirror’s health editor claims the shadow chancellor John McDonnell created a ‘secret advisory group’ to help guide the party’s NHS policy – adding that the shadow health secretary didn’t know anything about it. 

It comes days after Alexandra resigned from her position within the shadow cabinet, saying the party’s current leader did not ‘have the capacity to shape the answers our country is demanding and I believe that if we are to form the next Government, a change of leadership is essential.’



9:50 Elsewhere today, speaking at the Health+Care conference this morning, Paul Corrigan, former health adviser to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, argued that the Government should stop plowing their investments into the ‘old’ GP model.

Arguing they should spend money on growing other workforces that could pick up the work traditionally done by GPs instead, he said: ‘There aren’t enough GPs in the world to meet demand.’

9:05 In case you missed it, Pulse reported yesterday that the new voluntary contract that will be offered to practices or groups of practices covering more than 30,000 patients will be based on 15-year terms.

It may also include sweeteners for practices, such as covering the costs of indemnity and ending practice level CQC inspections. 

You can read the full story here.

8:10 One third (32%) of Brits in 2015 believed that the NHS has a severe funding crisis compared with just 19% in 2014, a major survey has found.

NatCen’s British Social Attitudes survey has also revealed that 93% said the NHS has a funding problem to some extent, but a quarter (26%) said the NHS should find ways to stay within budget.

The survey also found:

  • 42% willing to pay a higher taxation to solve the problem
  • 24% would agree to a ‘NHS tax’
  • 17% would pay more through the taxes they already pay.

However when asked for other ways addressing funding problems only 26% would limit the NHS to those on lower incomes

John Appleby, chief economist at The King’s Fund said the survey showed that the public is ‘virtually unanimous’ in their belief that the NHS is facing a funding problem.