Named GP

From 1^st April 2015 all practices in England are required under the General Medical Services (GMS) contract to allocate a named accountable GP to all patients, including children.

Prior to the contract change, all patients at Sonning Common Health Centre were registered with a partner and had a ‘usual’ GP allocated, on a pro rata basis. This was an administrative exercise to allow for the equitable allocation of test results and letters that come into the practice. For the purposes of this contract change your ‘usual’ GP will become your named accountable GP.

The contract remains ‘practice based’, so overall responsibility for patient care and appointment booking systems have not changed. This is largely a role of oversight, with the requirements being introduced to reassure patients that there is a GP within the practice who is responsible for co-ordinating their care as required.

There is no requirement within the contract for patients to see their named GP and patients are free to see any GP at the practice, as they currently do.

What are the responsibilities of the named accountable GP?

The named accountable GP will take responsibility for the co-ordination of all appropriate services and ensure that they are delivered to each of their patients where required (based on the GP’s clinical judgment) to each of their patients.

The role of the named GP will not:

• Take on vicarious responsibility for the work of other doctors or health professionals,
• Take on 24-hour responsibility for the patient, or have to change their working hours,
• Imply personal availability for GPs throughout the working week,
• Be the only GP or clinician who will provide care to that patient.

Do I need to take any action?

If you would like to know who your named GP is, please ask when you next attend the surgery.

Please note that whenever a GP leaves or joins the partnership, the health authority reallocates the patient lists. It may be that your named GP will change under such circumstances. We are not able to contact patients individually about such changes, but we will publicise any partnership changes and advise patients wishing to know who their named GP is to ask at the surgery.

Information and guidance taken from the BMA and NHS Employers websites.