Although the Department of Health’s November 2007 Guidance “Practice Based Commissioning: Practical Implementation” lacks a certain amount of clarity there is a clear intention that the DES Towards Practice Based Commissioning Scheme, which was terminated on 31 March 2007, is, for all practical purposes, to be replaced by a comparable local incentive scheme.
As a result it is suggested that where a practice Partnership Deed deals with Practice Based Commissioning, a number of revisions are now necessary in order to reshape the operative provisions.
There will be a number of older Partnership Deeds which were entered into before the PBC Scheme came into existence at all and, in these cases, it would be appropriate for a Deed of Variation to be entered into so as to regulate the partnership’s position.
Ros Parkin – rap@lockharts.co.uk – will be happy to advise.
