General Practice Planning Guidance for 2017/18 and 2018/19 Published

Delivering the Forward View: NHS Operational Planning Guidance for 2017/18 and 2018/19 has been published by NHS England and NHS Improvement. The document provides NHS trusts and commissioners with the tools they need to plan for the years.

On top of already announced increases to primary medical care allocations for general practice, the guidance confirms that there will also be further local recurrent funding to improve and increase capacity in general practice, totalling £138m by 2017/18 and increasing to £258m by 2018/19 (part of the wider commitment to invest an extra £2.4 billion in general practice services by 2020/21).

• In 2016/17 the additional funding will be restricted to:
• Practices involved in the General Practice Access Fund pilot scheme (formerly known as the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund)
• A number of additional areas across the country which will accelerate delivery of improving GP access in 2017/18. 
• A London wide programme of improving access from 2016/17.The investment will be extended in 2018/19 to enable the whole country to start developing additional capacity, so that from April 2019 every CCG can expect a minimum additional £6 per head to improve access to general practice.

For the first time, the new planning guidance also places a requirement on CCGs to develop local action plans detailing how they will deliver on the aims set out in the General Practice Forward View (as part of their Sustainability and Transformation Plans). In particular, the plans will need to set out how CCGs will invest funds to support and transform general practice.
CCGs need to provide plans outlining their approach to implementing the General Practice Forward View by 23 December 2016.

Arvind Madan, NHS England’s Director of Primary Care, said: “We know that general practice is under pressure and we are determined to maintain the momentum in turning things around, as started with the launch of the General Practice Forward View. Today’s planning guidance, with detail on how investment will look in the coming years, demonstrates the steps we will be taking with CCGs to both stabilise and transform GP services in the years to come.”

“CCGs will be able to commission extra services, making the most of new technologies and the wider workforce. This might include commissioning provision of access to pre-bookable and same day appointments to general practice services in evenings (after 6:30pm) and at weekends, meeting local population needs as appropriate. This should help reduce demand on both general practice in-hours, and urgent care services.”