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WELCOME TO OUR AUGUST 2025 NEWSLETTER
This publication is sent to all Essex GP Practices via their Practice Managers. However, we encourage anyone who would like to receive this communication directly, to subscribe below.
Practice Manager Supporter Scheme
Support for Practice & PCN Managers in Essex: You’re Not Alone!
The Practice Manager Supporter Scheme (PMSS)
Offering free, confidential support for:
- Practice Managers
- PCN Managers
- Deputy & Assistant Managers
What You’ll Get:
- One-to-one support from experienced managers
- Peer-to-peer Personal Development Reviews (PDRs)
- Guidance tailored to your role
- A safe, confidential space to share
- Advice from people who understand your challenges
Your Supporters
A team of 5 Practice Managers and 1 PCN Manager, actively working across Essex, ready to support you wherever you’re based.
100% Confidential | 100% Free
Everything you share stays between you and your chosen supporter. No judgement. No pressure. Just practical support and encouragement when you need it most.
2025 PCN Conference - Limited Number of Tickets Still Available
We are pleased to confirm that this year’s PCN Conference will be held on Tuesday 21st October 2025 at The Lion House, Boreham.
We hope that you will be able to join us for what should be a very informative day and will also offer an opportunity to network with PCN colleagues from across Essex and beyond.
The full programme is currently being finalised but speakers will include Lizzie Lloyd/Louise Dean from Larking Gowen Accountants, and Dr Andy Cope (Art of Brilliance). We will also be showcasing local PCN initiatives through our “Share Your Success Stories” campaign.
Tickets for this event are priced at £69.00 and registration is now open at the following link: Essex PCN Conference 21st October 2025
The event is open to all PCN Clinical Directors/Managers, GPs, Practice/Business Managers, and any other staff involved in the management/administration of PCNs.
Online Portal Coming Soon...
Phase One:
All Essex GPs will be asked to register on the portal in order to access LMC resources and be eligible to stand and/or vote in all future LMC elections. Next scheduled elections will take place in March 2026.
Phase Two:
Practice and PCN Managers will be asked to register on the portal and confirm practice/PCN information.
We are currently conducting a soft launch for LMC members only but expect to roll this out to all GPs and Practice Managers very shortly.
Urgent Appeal From The Cameron Fund
Through Dr Simon Parkinson, the Treasure or the Cameron Fund, we would like to share an urgent appeal letter as the fund faces a funding crisis this year.
BMA Analysis of 10 Year Plan
The UK Government’s 10 Year Health Plan was published on Thursday 3rd July 2025, with speeches from the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Health Secretary – all of whom emphasised that the plan is intended to deliver fundamental changes to the way health services in England are structured, funded and delivered.
The BMA has produced a document with their analysis of the plan.
To read their document, please click here.
Using Correct Codes For Homes
Last year, the Institute of General Practice Managers wrote to NHS England flagging an issue where GP practices had not been coding some care home patients correctly in their clinical system following a change to the coding, mandated in 2022. This meant they had not received correct weighted patient payments under the Carr-Hill Formula. NHSE has concluded that, while responsibility for correctly coding nursing home patients sits with the practice, it has written to ICBs recommending they make a payment adjustment where a practice can evidence they have not been paid correctly.
The communication advises ICBs of the issue, the investigations undertaken and that the commissioner should accept claims for back payment of nursing home flags that have been missed by the GP practice, from Q1 2022/23 onwards. It also suggests a method of calculation for the back payment. Primary Care Support England has also re-issued the communications to practices advising them of how to correctly code their nursing home patients and ensure their website and other guidance is up to date. NHSE guidance to ICBs advises:
· An issue has arisen whereby GP practices may have incorrectly coded nursing home patients within their clinical systems and therefore, been paid incorrectly
· GP practices are required to code/flag their nursing and care home patients on the GP clinical system as part of the registration process. This ensures that these patients are recorded correctly on the Personal Demographics Service and recognised appropriately with an additional 0.43 weighting in the payment calculations.
· Our investigations have shown that some GP practices have not been flagging their registered nursing home patients correctly during the registration process.
· NHS England has worked with PCSE to re-issue guidance on how practices should correctly flag their nursing and care home patients. This has resulted in a national increase in the total number of patients flagged, indicating that there was an issue that has now been largely resolved.
· We recommend that claims for back payment should be allowable from Q1 2022/23 as this aligns with the change of nursing home code following the commencement of PCRM roll out.
· Due to the fact that past weighted list sizes for GP practices cannot be re calculated and since the responsibility for flagging nursing home patients for additional payments lies with the GP practice, we propose that a fixed rate payment is made for patients that have not been flagged correctly and where the affected practice claims this and submits suitable evidence.
· This guidance & template has been developed to support practices in evidencing any underclaims. The relevant practice statements should be included as evidence to support claims
If you believe you are a practice that has been affected by this, you are advised to contact your ICB and they will share a template for you to submit a claim and any further guidance.
Update on You and Your Practice Guidance
Many practices have escalated concerns to their LMCs and to GPC and the BMA regarding the recent GPC update. Specific concerns have been voiced regarding the You & Your GP Practice document, citing “The practice team will consider your request for an appointment or medical advice and tell you within one working day what will happen next.”
NHS England have clarified that the ‘within one working day’ is the automated SMS/email which is sent by systems acknowledging receipt of the patient’s query, and is not an expectation of clinical judgement.
GPC has asked for this wording to be amended. The expectations on response times have not changed from the existing expectations, as set out in the regulations which were imposed on the profession under the previous government, and which have been in place since April 2023.
Likewise, with regards to opening hours of practices, subcontracting arrangements to cover practice education, or arrangements with local OOH organisations will remain and there is no change.
Reminder: link to ‘You and Your General Practice’ on practice websites
You and Your General Practice (YYGP) describes what practices and patients can expect of each other, and has been developed to help patients get the best from their GP team.
The GP contract for 2025/26 requires every practice to link to the YYGP information on their website, no later than 1 October 2025. YYGP also sets out how patients can provide feedback or raise concerns with their GP practice, Healthwatch or the ICB.
Practices are asked to link to YYGP in an easily accessible place on the practice website home page.
GP Practice Premises - What you need to know
BW Healthcare Surveyors will be delivering a webinar on behalf of Essex LMCs at 1:00pm on Thursday 18th September 2025. The webinar is free to attend and there will be an opportunity for Q&As following the presentation. To register please follow this link.
The following topics will be covered:-
· What practices can claim for in their reimbursement
· The process for when a lease is up for renewal or you are due a rent review
· The difference between notional rent and actual rent
· Understanding the process when you make a challenge against your notional rent or actual rent
Do you need help with PCSE cases?
Have you waited for more than 40 days for a response from PCSE for a case raised with them? Are you experiencing financial hardship as a result? Or, is there a risk to patient safety? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then the LMC can help you.
GP Practice Workforce Data
Using data from NHS Digital, we now provide monthly workforce data for Essex GP Practices, Male/Female GP Ratios, and GP Ethnicity documents.
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