GPs in Leicestershire have criticised a local plan to form an accountable care system (ACS) because the plans are unclear on how GPs will be involved.
According to a board paper from NHS Leicester City CCG, the plan will see the local healthcare system take on the budget responsibility to design and deliver services ‘to best meet the needs of its population’.
It adds that ‘over time’ partners in the ACS, including local hospital trusts, NHS East Leicestershire and Rutland, NHS Leicester City and NHS West Leicestershire CCGs, will begin ‘ceding some individual sovereignty for the current responsibilities they have’ in Leicestershire to work on this ‘joint endeavour’.
However, Dr Anu Rao, medical secretary of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland LMC said: ‘As always, the devil’s in the details and the LMC strongly felt that there wasn’t much detail about how and what the proposal of the accountable care systems is.’
She said: ‘What exactly does it mean for primary care? How are you going to integrate practices into the accountable care system? How is it going to improve patient access with issues around workload and workforce for general practice?’
Full story in Pulse, 19 September 2017