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Covid-19 and annual leave

Can we cancel booked annual leave? If you’ve already approved leave, you can retract approval by giving at least twice the length of notice as the period of leave that has been booked (e.g. ten days’ notice for five days’ leave). However, you will need to exercise caution and be… Read More

Urgent NHS Vacant Space Requirement

Hempsons, as a member of the Primary Care Premises Forum, has been asked to assist with the urgent collection of data on vacant and to let primary care accommodation for potential use during the current Covid-19 emergency. This information has been requested by NHS England and Improvement… Read More

So, what now for PCNs?

At the special conference of LMCs on 11th March, an overwhelming majority (3 to 2) voted in favour of resolutions, including that the new PCN DES is: a “Trojan horse to transfer work from secondary care to primary care”; and that “this strategy poses an existential threat to… Read More

Don’t Neglect Your Partnership

First published in Association of Independent Specialist Medical Accountants (AISMA) Doctor Newsline in Spring 2020 issue With the focus on primary care networks and integrated care systems in recent months, attention might have shifted from housekeeping around medical partnerships. The majority of GP practices are run as partnerships, and this… Read More

Statutory Books – Keep them up to date or be fined!

Sana Sadiq, solicitor in the corporate healthcare team at law firm Hempsons considers the importance of maintaining company statutory registers. Published in Practice Management February 2020 Limited companies are becoming increasingly common in the GP world – with GP Federations, and some GP practices incorporating rather than remaining as partnerships. Read More

Newsflash: Unlocking funding for GP premises

A recent article published in GP Magazine, click here to view, highlights that GP practices may be missing out on millions of pounds in premises funding available through the planning system.  New housing and commercial developments naturally produce strain on local infrastructure (eg schools, transport and of course… Read More

GP contract agreement puts pressure on PCNs to succeed

The BMA and NHS England have released an update of the GP Contract for 2020/21 – 2023/24. As stated by NHS England and the BMA (2019) in the Investment and evolution: a five year framework for GP contract reform to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan, the… Read More

Are you protected, communicating and networking?

Kirsty Odell, Senior Solicitor in the corporate healthcare team of law firm Hempsons, points the way to develop your Primary Care Network Published in Practice Management January 2020 All except a handful of GP practices have now come together to form their Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Crunch time is coming for these newly formed collaborations… Read More

Who employs your PCN staff? What’s the risk?

NHSE hosted a Twitter chat yesterday on PCN workforce – click HERE to view twitter feed. Much of the focus was around recruitment issues, but accountability for and by PCN staff is crucial. Who employs PCN staff? PCNs are not legal entities. Joint employment by all the practices in a PCN… Read More