Virgin Healthcare has revealed detailed plans for its new GP services, which will involve leaving family doctors on standard contracts but taking control of their non-clinical work.

Virgin Healthcare chief executive Mark Adams said 300 existing practices had expressed an interest in working with the company and the first Virgin surgery was "four to five months away from opening".

Speaking at the King's Fund last week, he said there was a "clear economic imperative for change" and a need to "modernise and refresh" services.

But he said rather than bid for work under alternative provider medical services contracts designed to allow independent sector entrants to the market, Virgin would allow GPs to retain their own nationally negotiated general medical services or locally negotiated personal medical services contracts.

He said: "Doctors [will] take the lead on clinical responsibility and we'll have our own clinical governance and peer review.

"Any doctor who wants to work with us will TUPE transfer their non-clinical stuff to us."

Mr Adams said Virgin would be looking to bring in new members of the practice team such as choice advisers and health advisers.

But he added: "We won't be getting doctors to wear red uniforms."

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