Conference of England LMCs and Special Conference

The Conference of England LMCs full agenda and results of the voting can be read here, a recording of the live stream for the day can be viewed here.

The following day saw a Special Conference of England LMCs, held behind closed doors, to discuss the negotiation of a new GP Contract in 2024. The agenda for the Special Conference can be read from page 8 onwards. This conference did not have the normal format of motions to be debated and voted on, instead LMCs were invited to submit talking points.

The three motions proposed for the Conference of England LMCs by LMCs from the Londonwide LMCs’ area are listed below, all were voted through in full by the Conference:

Motion 5. Kensington and Chelsea:

That conference believes general practice in England is unsafe due to a shortage of doctors and a lack of investment; that this problem must be owned by government, and:

1. believes that focusing on patient safety is more appropriate than trying to meet high patient demand and therefore calls for GPC England to use “safe capacity” and avoid “access” in communications and negotiations
2. deems the scapegoating, moral injury and lack of psychological safety faced by GPs, in the context of whole NHS system failure, to be entirely unacceptable
3. calls for an effective mechanism for LMCs to escalate issues that impact on patient safety in general practice that are outside the gift of practices to address and have failed to be addressed locally
4. believes it is time that a workload sensitive contract for GPs was introduced without further delay which includes a proactive system of monitoring and wellbeing safeguards
5. believes all practices should declare themselves to CQC as ‘requiring improvement,’ as they are unable to offer safe and effective care due to widespread system failings outside of primary care.

Motion 7. Tower Hamlets: 

That conference recognises the importance of childhood immunisations and applauds the work that general practices have done in the last year despite many knowing that this work would go unrewarded through QOF payments. Conference demands that:

1. NHSEI and the government recognise that patients can make informed decisions
2. NHSEI recognise the difficulties in achieving QOF targets, particularly in areas with high patient turnover and areas with marginalised communities thereby discriminating against practices in inner cities and high levels of deprivation
3. GPC England negotiate with NHSEI a QOF target with a lower threshold for payment for childhood immunisations
4. GPC England negotiate with NHSEI that exception reporting should be incorporated into all QOF targets.

Motion 14. Westminster: 

That conference instructs GPC England to ensure that:

1. GMS / PMS monies and pre-existing general practice budgets must be ring fenced within all ICSs for exclusive use in general practice
2. distribution of funding at place, system and ICB level should be proportional based on the amount of activity delivered by each sector
3. representation at place, system and ICB level should be proportional based on the amount of activity delivered by each sector
4. all proposals at ICS, system or place level must include a GP practice workload, stability, and clinical risk impact assessment, and address any adverse implications that are identified before agreement
5. ICSs are held accountable for local system operational failings and for safe GP / patient ratios.

Roles elected for 2023 England LMC Conference

Chair of England Conference

• Shaba Nabi

Deputy Chair of England Conference

• Elliott Singer

Five members of England Conference Agenda Committee

• Paul Evans
• Zoe Norris
• Matt Mayer
• Simon Minkoff
• Clare Sieber