Consortia to get £25-35 per head for running costs

Consortia will also receive £2 per head of population to fund backfill time covering GP involvement in commissioning work, the operating framework for the NHS in England 2010-11 announced yesterday.

The NHS Alliance said in a statement that it “warmly welcomes” the potential of “£25-35 per head of registered list population for GP commissioning consortia running costs by the 2013-14 financial year, and of £2 per head from next April 2011 to fund GP backfill time covering their involvement in commissioning consortia work”.

NHS Alliance chair Dr Michael Dixon said: “The government has shown commendable resolve in sticking to its guns on the importance of clinical involvement in commissioning.

“It’s great to have the clarity of these announcements, which will allow staff across the NHS – in primary and secondary care, managers and clinicians, to work together on planning a more patient-centred, appropriately-integrated, outcome-focused NHS for all.”

He added: “The reforms should not be seen as a condemnation of the hard, loyal work of many NHS managers who have played vital roles. Good management will be essential in the new system, as the secretary of state has repeatedly emphasised.”

However, Dr Dixon said: “Those who fear this change or are too wedded to the old system should go now, as NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson has emphasised.”

The National Association of Primary Care also welcomed the running cost resource allocations, saying it would help to provide “more consistently excellent” primary care for patients.

NAPC chief executive Mike Ramsden said: “The resources made available to primary care and the wider NHS will enable GP commissioning consortia to begin to tackle some of the urgent issues vexing ministers, including the unwarranted variability in primary care.

“Funding should now enable pathfinder consortia to begin to tackle this major issue, and we look forward to seeing evidence of some stepped improvements by the end of 2011.”