Business Plan for Mid Kent GP Alliance Ltd . July 2015
Mid Kent GP Alliance Ltd
The Mid Kent GP Alliance is a not for profit, mid Kent wide Federation of independent GP Practices.
Members will remain independent businesses, who collaborate in the further development of local
primary care and apply for tenders from the CCG and other commissioners , thus supporting local
healthcare , NHS structures and maintaining core income.
Mission Statement
MKGPA’s vision is to support practices in ensuring the delivery of high quality primary care across
the locality in partnership with the local community.
We will achieve this through mutual cooperation and collaboration.
Through the collective sharing of professional expertise and a detailed understanding of local health
need we are ideally placed to effectively deliver care pathways, ensuring both quality and
productivity.
We will continue to improve standards and facilitate access to specialist services in primary care for
our patients.
We are going to benefit from economies of scale, improving financial security for primary care and
developing support services to ensure business continuity.
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Business Plan for Mid Kent GP Alliance Ltd . July 2015
Background
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The primary care regulatory landscape has changed dramatically since the introduction of the Health
and Social Care Act.
Practice Contracts are being managed by the National Commissioning Board and the CCG will be
taking over Primary Care Commissioning.
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The CCG is tasked with new priorities which impact on primary care. They are not allowed to
show local NHS groups any preferential treatment
There is on-going need for substantial financial savings
Powerful private companies have entered the market and are competing for community
services.
The BMA seems less influential than in the past, allowing policy makers to drive the agenda
It is likely that LES contracts, previously awarded to GP Surgeries will be offered for tender,
with potential loss of income for primary care.
The NHS England paper, “Five Years Forward”, sets out a vision for the NHS in which primary
care may form the core of new service delivery models. In this model, GP Federations are
seen as potential providers in Multisystem Community Provider Networks.
The demographic landscape continues to evolve along a new well defined trajectory, with an ageing
population. Patient expectations are rising inexorably and workload is becoming more complex. At
the same time, recruiting GPs and retaining old ones is becoming more difficult. Nationally, there
has been a 15 % drop in applications for GP training roles this year, leaving unfilled vacancies.
Overall, flat income and rising costs means partner drawings from core work will fall by 30 % over
the next five years, reinforcing recruitment difficulties, encouraging early retirement and placing
additional pressure on practices. Workload is increasing. We need to maintain the quality of the
service that we offer.
Mid Kent GP Alliance Ltd
MKGPA Ltd broadly follows the RCGP Federation Model. Four main objectives have been identified
and are as follows:
1. Support and strengthen Primary Care in Mid Kent eg.
 Promote and assist practices to improve quality and reduce variation in service
delivery
 Assist GP Practices to address workload and capacity
 Develop the role which Primary Care can play in moving hospital services into the
community
 Help with challenges identified by Practices eg GP recruitment, workload
 Sharing best practice
 Support establishment of a locum chambers
 Work with Practices when opportunities for new work emerge.
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Business Plan for Mid Kent GP Alliance Ltd . July 2015
2. Support practices to maintain existing or generate new income streams and reduce costs
eg.
 Offer a credible bid where new or existing primary care services are put out to
tender by the CCG.
 A common high quality approach to certain new work such as DES QOF Dementia
Screening
 Helping practices to reduce the costs and improve quality of care for patients with
long term conditions by sharing comparative data and best practice.
 Sharing some of the back office functions such as CQC policies
 Reducing the duplication of tasks/functions between practices eg common
approaches to recruitment and sharing staff
3. To support our local Health Care System
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Helping to identify cost savings
Promoting universally high quality Primary Care in mid Kent
Working with our patients to identify need
4. To build a sustainable organisation
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That has strong support from member practices.
Is financially independent.
Is able to exist beyond the next NHS reorganisation
The values of the Federation:
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Keep General Practice as our first priority
Focus on improving care
Democratic, open and transparent, with work allocated fairly across the practices.
Inclusive of all Mid Kent Practices regardless of size or type of contract.
GP owned and managed
Facilitative- bringing practices together to create mutual benefits
Not for Profit
Developing people
Governance Structure and Finance
The Federation will be open to all eligible and governed by a members’ agreement. The work of
existing locality groups will be supported so that local initiatives can flourish.
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Business Plan for Mid Kent GP Alliance Ltd . July 2015
The organisation will be managed by an elected board of 6 GPs and 4 practice managers. There
exists an option for co-opted members.
The board will elect the chair and business manager.
When votes are required from members, each practice will have one vote.
The board will adopt policies of conflict of interest, reflecting best practice and BMA/GMC Guidance.
The main income for the Federation will come from expanding the range of services it offers. Its
potential market is increasing as CCGs shift work out of hospitals or focus on initiatives which reduce
expenditure.
Member practices are members on the same basis.
Obligations of member practices and next steps
Practices who joined initially signed a letter of intent confirming that they understand the
obligations of membership. These included acting in the spirit of working together, having a
nominated lead, participating in decision making, sharing non commercially sensitive data, playing a
fair part in the delivery of services, considering using Federation organised services and paying a
one-off 50 pence per patient membership which will be locked into the new organisation. This
membership investment covers start up costs, including legal and accountancy fees and initial
running costs.
They have since signed a Shareholders Agreement and deed of Authority and completion took place
on 18 June 2015 for 35 member practices.
Shareholders
SOLE V 2.pdf
Agreement MKGPA.pdf
PARTNERSHIP V
2.pdf
LIMITED v2.pdf
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