Global Sum increase for GP Practices

The global sum for GP practices in England has been increased from £102.28 to £104.73 per patient, in order to finance a 6% staff uplift. This is roughly a 2.4% increase. Negotiations between the Department of Health and Social Care and the British Medical Association (BMA) concluded last week, and the BMA's GP Committee said they had done so 'satisfactorily'. The global sum is a fixed amount of money that GP practices receive per patient registered with them. It makes up the majority of a practice's income, and is used to fund all aspects of primary care, including staff costs, premises, and equipment.

The 6% staff uplift will help to address the chronic workforce shortage in general practice. In recent years, there has been an exodus of GPs from the NHS, with many citing excessive workloads and low pay as the main reasons for leaving. The BMA welcomed the increase in the global sum, but said that more needed to be done to support general practice in the long term. 

Dr. Richard Vautrey, BMA GP Committee chair, said: "This uplift is a welcome step, but it is important to remember that general practice has been underfunded for many years. We need to see sustained investment in general practice in order to ensure that patients have access to the high-quality care they deserve." He said that the BMA had called for a 25% increase to the global sum, and that the 6% increase "would not be enough to cover the rising costs of running a GP practice, such as staff salaries and energy bills". 

The government has said that it is committed to supporting general practice, and that the increase in the global sum is part of a wider package of measures designed to improve primary care. However, some critics have argued that the government is not doing enough to address the root causes of the problems in general practice, such as the high workload and low pay.

A lot of partners still feel that this uplift is not enough. If you consider on costs such as national insurance and pension contributions, it is felt 8% increase in the global sum was needed just to cover the staff increases let alone any increase in drawings for the partners themselves. Pressure from staff will mean that some form of uplift will be required to their salary, the question is how much? 

With the junior doctors and consultants both striking today, when is it time for the GP partners to consider industrial action?

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