DAUK’s GP committee has warned the employer National Insurance rise announced in the Budget could put huge financial pressure on already struggling general practices.
DAUK welcomed the announcement of an extra £22.6 billion for the NHS in the Budget. However, we also expressed concern at the potential impact on general practice of an employer National Insurance rise.
Now Dr Steve Taylor, DAUK GP spokesperson, says a rise could make many practices unviable.
He said: “DAUK shares the concern across the GP community the Budget will potentially put huge extra costs onto GP practices.
National Insurance rise
“With employer National Insurance contributions rising together with the rise in staff costs, which have not been adequately funded, it could mean practices really struggle to keep their head above water.
“There is no way that Labour will meet it’s manifesto commitment to ‘bring back the family doctor’ unless it funds GP practices properly to recruit, retain, and grow capacity, particularly GPs, many of whom are underemployed or unemployed.
“General practice has been delivering five million more appointments a month which puts the extra 40,000 a week promised in context.
“Patients want and need to see doctors.”
General practice
Now DAUK is supporting GPCE calls for GPs and patients to write to their MPs to express concern at the potential impact National Insurance rises will have on practices.
GPCE has produced a letter template for people to copy and paste and send to their MP. The letter is reproduced below.
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Find your MP’s email at: https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons
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GPCE letter template
Dear <insert MP>
I am writing to flag a profound concern around NHS GP Practices and the Autumn Statement announcements on Employers’ NICs.
We have lost over 1000 NHS GP practices in the past decade. If Darren Jones’ comments on BBC QT are correct, we shall see many more hand back their contracts overnight.
NHS GP Practices are excluded from employer support for small businesses – and previous Conservative governments have offered full recovery for NICs rises.
GPs are very clearly defined in the past 25 years of law as “public authorities”. The assertion by Darren Jones above flies in the face of various legislation, including:
– Freedom of Information Act
– The Equalities Act
– GDPR
– IR35
Presumably Treasury do not intend to amend hundreds of pieces of major legislation in order to claim an extra 1.2%?
Such poorly thought through comments are sending us into a tailspin. This needs absolute clarity as soon as possible.
Likewise, the methodology for recent uplifts is out of date and has failed to deliver. Any repeat of a Global Sum % uplift will not work with the NICs change proposed, because of the ‘fixed per employee’ element. The Association of Specialist Medical Accountants has flagged this concern too.
Treasury and DHSC need to take immediate steps to correct Mr Jones’ comments and assure the profession that they have no intention of threatening the viability of thousands of NHS GP Practices, lest Labour kills the family doctor.
Yours
<Insert name>
