Partners at the St Lawrence Medical Practice in Braintree, Essex, were forced to hand their GMS contract back after they were unable to recruit more partners, and NHS England replaced it with an APMS contract run by Virgin Care.

An FOI to NHS England, revealed by Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer from Hertfordshire LMC at the LMCs Conference in Edinburgh, showed that the first year of the Virgin Care practice contract cost 64% moreq than the final 12 months of St Lawrence’s GMS contract.

The FOI, seen by Pulse, also revealed that the Sutherland Lodge practice in Essex was replaced by a Virgin Care APMS practice that increased costs by 16%. Sutherland Lodge had earlier been awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating by the CQC but was forced to close due to the PMS reviews.

The figures were announced as part of a debate on NHS England’s decision to put all new GP practices contracts out to tender under APMS – first revealed by Pulse.

Local leaders voted in favour of the motion, which called on the GPC to take legal advice to ‘challenge the notion that only APMS contracts may be awarded when procuring general medical services’.

Dr Bramall-Stainer told delegates: ‘There was the case of the “Outstanding” Essex practice that was forced into handing back their contract last year due to the enforced PMS contract review.

‘This undermines the whole ethos of long-time continuity of care.’

The FOI response from NHS England said: ‘The budget for the current APMS contract (which commenced on 1 June 2016) will exceed the actual expenditure within the last twelve months of the former GMS partnership (1 June 2014 to 31 May 2015).

‘Following the procurements of the current APMS contracts for the St Lawrence and Sutherland Lodge practices we can confirm that the procurements resulted in the following approximate percentage increases in contract value rates compared to the GMS and PMS arrangements previously in place; St Lawrence: 64%; Sutherland Lodge: 16%.’

Pulse revealed earlier this year that more practices closed in 2016 than ever before.

ORLA Healthcare Ltd, in partnership with University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, operated a ‘virtual ward’ service providing in-home care for patients deemed to need admission to an acute bed.

The service was provided by an experienced team of consultants, middle-grade doctors, qualified nursing staff and healthcare assistants 24/7, 365 days a year.

The team used state-of-the-art technology offering the same level of care available in hospital and was also supported by pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Partner Graham Randall and director Simon Campbell, of restructuring and insolvency specialists Quantuma, were appointed joint administrators of ORLA on 4 May 2017 following the last minute collapse in negotiations with a buyer.

The company’s 59 employees have been made redundant and Quantuma is assisting them with making their claims and taking all steps necessary to maximise recoveries for creditors.

Graham Randall said: “Patient feedback showed 100 per cent satisfaction with the service.

“Enabling patients to be treated at home rather than cared for in hospital improves their outcomes, releases hospital beds and reduces the risks of cross infection.

“The business works as an operating model and given time I am sure this will have translated into a successful financial performance.

If you are an older senior citizen and can no longer take care of yourself and need Long-Term Care, but the government says there is no Nursing Home Care available for you, what do you do? You may opt for Medicare Part G:

The plan gives anyone 75 or older a gun (Part G) and one bullet. You may then shoot one worthless politician. [Owl does not support this, of course]

This means you will be sent to prison for the rest of your life where you will receive three meals a day, a roof over your head, central heating and air conditioning, cable TV, a library, and all the health care you need. Need new teeth? No problem. Need glasses? That’s great. Need a hearing aid, new hip, knees, kidney, lungs, sex change or heart? They are all covered.

As an added bonus your kids can come and visit you at least as often as they do now.

And who will be paying for all this? The same government that just told you they can’t afford for you to go into a nursing home.

And you will get rid of a useless politician while you are at it. And now, because you are a prisioner, you don’t have to pay any more income taxes.

Is this a great country or what?