£16m ‘resilience fund’ offers GP boost

A series of NHS England support packages will seek to address systemic staffing and financial pressures on doctors in England.

A £40 million resilience fund and a £30 million development programme, as well as measures to offset the costs of medical indemnities, were announced as part of a raft of proposals set out in the General Practice Forward View.

£16 million from the resilience fund will initially support practices under particular strain, with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisting that helping GPs handle the costs associated with negligence claims was integral to achieving best level of care for patients.

Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said: “We meant it when we said we would take concrete action to help relieve pressure on GP practices, and today’s funding is just the first instalment. Practices need support, now, and a few weeks on from the GP Forward View we’re getting on with practical action to do so.”

Krishna Kasaraneni, British Medical Association GP committee member, said: “This new resilience fund does significantly expand the resources available to struggling practices and it appears to have learnt some of the lessons from last year’s failed vulnerable practice scheme, which was riddled with delay and bureaucracy.

“We face the serious prospect of whole areas of the country being left without local GP services to provide care to their communities. It is encouraging that the government is finally showing signs of recognising the immense pressures facing GP practices, which has left many on the brink of closure.”