NHS England has announced the rates at which GP practices can be reimbursed for staff it needs to put on to open over the Easter weekend.
It has previously told practices that they should treat Good Friday and Easter Monday as regular working days.
NHS England has capped the fees GPs can be reimbursed at:
- Sessional GPs: up to a maximum of £250 a session or £500 per day;
- Overtime for salaried GPs in line with the individual’s contractual arrangements;
- Additional capacity from GP Partners to recognise up to two additional sessions on each of Good Friday and Easter Monday at a rate of £289 per session plus applicable employer National Insurance and pension costs;
- Overtime for non-GP practice staff in line with the individual’s contractual arrangements.
‘Practices should discuss with their local commissioner the level of service required on bank holidays and agree in advance what additional staffing costs will be reimbursed,’ NHS England said in a bulletin to GP practices.
A new ‘general practice Covid support fund’ will be set up from which funding will be drawn, it added, details of which would be shared ‘soon’.
