Statement on GP contract
NHS Highland commission a range of Local Enhanced Services from GP Practices.
In the Highland HSCP area ('North Highland'), there is an investment of around £3m in the services that are delivered across the majority of GP practices and NHS Highland is committed to maintaining this level of investment.
NHS Boards receive funding from Scottish Government to commission Local Enhanced Services. This funding has not been uplifted on an annual basis for many years. This is an issue applicable across all NHS Boards as a result of annual national negotiations between Scottish General Practice Committee (SGPC) and Scottish Government. For many years the negotiated agreement between these parties is that the annual uplift is only applied to certain elements of the GP contract, namely Global Sum and the Income and Expenses Guarantee. Other budgets, such as Enhanced Services, do not receive any uplift.
During 2022/23, NHS Highland reviewed Enhanced Services arrangements in the Highland HSCP area to provide a framework to support our ambition of delivering care closer to home.
In December 2023, NHS Highland proposed to GP Practices an alternative set of arrangements for the commissioning of Local Enhanced Services. However, this proposal was not supported by Highland LMC, and member practices. Therefore a pause in the implementation was agreed to allow for continued discussion and negotiation. This pause is accompanied by an interim contract offer, extending current terms. These meetings have now commenced and we aim to have a new set of commissioned arrangements in place by April 2025 - or earlier if continued negotiations achieve this. A letter has gone out to all Highland HSCP area practices to propose this and we are committed to ongoing dialogue.
Delivery of Local Enhanced Services is not a core contractual requirement for GP Practices. Some GP Practices in the Highland Council area are not signed up to the interim contract offer from 1 April 2024 and alternative arrangements will be put in place where applicable.
We look forward to continued dialogue with Highland GPs and thereafter reach a satisfactory agreement.