---

GP Contract guidance

On 20 June 2019 we updated our PCN Model Schedules, which are designed to assist London practices in filling out the PCN schedules, as required to progress their PCN application.

The new GP Contract was announced at the end of January 2019, having been agreed between the BMA’s GPC and NHS England.

For your practice it means that the Contract will increase by 1.4% in 2019 (with a further addition of 1% funding through networks). This includes:

• A 2% uplift for GP and staff pay and expenses for every practice.
• Uplift for practices to establish and develop networks (via an additional service within global sum).
• Uplift due to population increase.
• Adjustment for the state-backed indemnity scheme.
• Increase to value of some vaccinations and immunisations, including influenza, to bring them all up to the same level of £10.06.
• £20m recurrent for costs associated with processing subject access requests.
• £30m for practices to make appointments available to NHS 111. 

PCN Model Schedules

In addition to the clauses, as set out in the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service Network Agreement, we have worked with LMC Law to draft model PCN schedules:

• PCN Model Schedules PDF version
• PCN Model Schedules Word version

The 20 June updates to the PCN Model Schedules include substantive changes to the sections covering voting, dispute resolution and appointment and election of the Clinical Director (all covered in Schedule 2). There have also been small tweaks to the wording throughout the documents with further advice pending on VAT, sub-contracting and a handful of other areas.

Keep It Simple guides

In response to questions about what information needs to go on specific forms or be contained within documents, we have produced these clear and concise guides. The first versions were issued at the start of May 2019:

• Keep It Simple guide - Social prescribing link workers
• Keep It Simple guide - PCN finances
• Keep It Simple guide - Submission of the PCN registration form
• Keep It Simple guide - PCN clinical director role and responsibilities
• Keep It Simple guide - PCN DES Timeline 2019-2020

Londonwide LMCs' guidance on the new GP Contract

The full Contract document is over 100 pages long, so we have summarised the key points for practices in a series of short guides.

Our guidance on the GP Contract was published on 12 March 2019, with updates made on 23 April in response to the release of the PCN DES supporting documents. If you have a previous copy you may wish to download the updated version, which reflects that the PCN DES supporting documents are now published rather than pending. Nothing in the updated collection of documents countermands any of the information in the previous version.

Dr Michelle Drage's letter and the full series of guides can be downloaded as a single document here.

Individual guides are available below, we may make updates to the documents and will add a note next to the relevant link to indicate if and when we have done this:

• Michelle's letter to GPs regarding the GP Contract 
• Practice Funding Settlement 
• The Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and the Primary Care Network Contract DES 
• Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) and Other Workforce Support
• Indemnity and the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP)
• Network National Service Specifications and the NHS Long Term Plan
• QOF
• Integrating Urgent Care services
• IT/’Digital First’
• Miscellaneous Contract Changes

The April 2019 updated added details to the 'The Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and the Primary Care Network Contract DES' document. These cover the fact clarification is being sought around half day closing, a mention that collaboration with community and health and social care bodies is now a PCN requirement, details about CCG involvement in a practice leaving a PCN and details about VAT arrangements for the PCN fundholder.

Supporting documents

On 29 March 2019 NHS England released the following supporting documents for the Primary Care Network DES.

• Network DES Specification
• Network DES Guidance
• Network DES Registration Form
• Network Agreement
• Network Contract VAT Information Note 

A few days later, the BMA updated their PCN Handbook.