RCGP forecasts loss of £760m in 2020

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has highlighted that general practice is facing a £760m loss of funding in 2020.

An analysis of CCG budgets has revealed that the profession is set to underspend their funding allocation by £33 million in the current financial year. It also found that few of the 44 new Sustainability and Transformation Footprints (STPs) have drawn up plans to boost investment in general practice.

The news has come despite the government’s initial pledge to shift resources into general practice and NHS guidance directing that STPs should draw up plans to invest £760m of new money into general practice in 2020-21.

The College raised concern over the way in which STPs have been rolled out, in particular their lack of engagement with general practice and failure to draw up investment plans.

At the Annual Primary Care Conference in Harrogate, Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said: “The College has strongly supported the formation of the STPs as a critically important new initiative in the NHS that can function as regional engine rooms for a more collaborative approach to shaping services and dealing with challenges, such as the huge increase in multiple long-term conditions within the patient population nationwide.

“The STPs will play a crucial role in shaping the future development of the NHS over the next five years. However, strengthening general practice should be at the heart of what they are about. But in many areas RCGP local representatives are struggling against an agenda that is focused on plugging ever increasing hospital deficits.

“This is a false vision which may seem to offer short term gain, but if general practice isn't supported then there is no system transformation and we will very quickly be back where we started.

“Let us not allow this to happen on our watch. The general practice perspective must be fed in to any 'health system' transformation.

“Let us galvanise our colleagues, our patients and our communities to stand up for general practice in our localities, so that it can remain the foundation stone of the NHS.”

She added: “Based on the limited information about STPs that has been published, very few contain specific pledges to earmark extra funding for general practice. Some barely acknowledge general practice at all.

“If STP plans fail to deliver the funding for general practice – from the Sustainability and Transformation Fund – then the family doctor service stands to lose up to £760m in 2020/21.

“So, I call on Simon Stevens to require all STPs to publish their financial plans, and to make crystal clear that unless they commit to invest more in general practice, through the Sustainability and Transformation Fund, their plans will be rejected and responsibility for the Fund regionally will be withheld from the non-compliant STPs.”