August Newsletter

GPs should not automatically provide medical records following insurer subject access requests

An Information Commissioner’s Office decision says handing over medical records wholesale following subject access requests (SARs) from insurers may be illegal, even with patient consent.

GMS global sum calculation and data request for atypical population profiles

The BMA have produced a document that details how the global sum allocation (Carr-Hill formula) determines how much funding a GMS contract provides to a practice. This is following the changes to the GMS contract after the withdrawal of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG). The document may also be of use to those in the process of switching from PMS to GMS due to PMS reviews.

Primary Care Workforce Commission report

The Primary Care Workforce Commission was led by Professor Martin Rowland. Their report ‘the future of primary care: creating teams for tomorrow’ was published on 22 July. There are 38 recommendations covering workforce, practice skills (pharmacists etc), federations, integrating care, technology, safety, end of life care, managing specific patient groups, and data.

GP resilience app

Media round-up

Michelle spoke on camera to ITV News on Monday 10 August about EU citizens getting European Health Insurance cards in the UK and using them to bill the NHS for healthcare in their home countries. Michelle explained that a more comprehensive registration process should be administered by the NHS, rather than general practice.

Michelle spoke to Nursing in Practice and Management in Practice at the start of August, detailing the pressures facing the London general practice workforce as a whole and looking at how to better coordinate care to improve patient outcomes.