National Audit Office produced a report into NHS Property Services (NHSPS) who were set up in April 2013 to operate NHS Estates. The report claims 1,250 England GP practices are in buildings owned by NHSPS. It says that GP practices own a grand total of £173 million in ‘outstanding debts’ – these charges came with no agreement.
BMA leaders oppose the service charges NHSPS are demanding from GP practices, as there are cases where they are charged for services that do not exist, or services the practices had already paid to their local councils. An example was when a practice was charged for a non-existent lift and there are reports that the charges are not broken down to show how the total is worked out.
Chair of BMA GP committee, Dr Richard Vautrey, said: ‘In recent years, GPs leasing buildings from NHS Property Services have seen their service and maintenance fees rise astronomically with no agreement and no proper explanation. It is only right then, that GPs do not pay these fees that could risk the very future of their practices and the ability to provide care for patients.’
Full story in Pulse, 26 June 2019