NHS increases GP IT funding by 18 per cent
NHS is also introducing a greater range of core requirements for IT services to be provided by clinical commissioning groups to GPs
The NHS has increased its allocations to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for the provision of IT services and technology for general practice by over 18 per cent, according to a new report released by the NHS.
The report, called General Practice Forward View, states that the government will invest a further £2.4bn a year by 2020/21 into GP services overall.
The GP IT budget, which is just a part of the overall GP services budget, will be controlled by the CCGs, and the NHS is introducing a greater range of core requirements for technology services to be provided by CCGs to general practice.
This includes the ability to access digital patient records both inside and outside the practice premises; specialist support, including services for information governance, cyber security, data quality, clinical system training and optimisation, clinical systems safety and annual practice IT review.
Other services that will be required include: outbound electronic messaging (for example, SMS) from the practice for direct individual patient clinical communication; the ability for patients to transact with the practice through online appointment management, repeat prescription requests and access to their detailed record and test, and the ability for electronic discharge letters/summaries from secondary care to be transmitted directly into GP clinical systems - from June 2016.
In addition, the NHS said there will be requirements set by December 2016 for information-sharing agreements and consent-based record sharing.
There will be further requirements added in 2017/18, including funding for Wi-Fi for staff and patients within practice settings, funding to support education and support for patients and practitioners to use digital services, and a national framework for the purchase of telephone and e-consultation tools.
CCGs will also have access to funding for subsidiary technology services to support GP practices. The NHS said that over time, some of these investments may become core service offerings.
Examples of subsidiary technology services include systems that help practices to operate more collaboratively, systems or approaches that aid efficiency (such as going paperless), and joining pathways between different healthcare sectors and professional groups (such as pharmacies).