NHS Employers: Contract was radical
Thursday, 28 Feb 2008 09:25
The new GPs' contract was "radical" and it will take some time for it "to bed in", according to NHS Employers.
The organisation, which is responsible for negotiating the contract, spoke out after the National Audit Office released a report into the contract's progress.
This report claims the new contract has brought some benefits but has cost £1.76 billion more than planned and has failed to increase productivity.
NHS Employers acting director Alastair Henderson said costs have been more than anticipated but claimed some of the NAO's figures were misleading.
"The figure of £1.76 billion relates to expenditure above the gross investment guarantee," he explained.
"This was the figure promised by the government during the negotiations as the very minimum they would invest in primary care. Expenditure was in the end £406m or 2.8 per cent above that actually allocated by the government for spending on the contract over a three-year period."
Mr Henderson added: "The contract brought radical change, for the first time linking improvements in patient care to rewards for GPs in ways which are ground breaking and have received international acclaim.
"We knew it would take some time for the contract to bed in, and it is still early days, but we have made some significant progress in the last few years and patients are seeing the benefits.
"Our challenge for the future is to ensure that the contract provides value for money through future changes and that PCTs make the most out of the opportunities it presents to extend the services GPs offer their patients."
