Speaking after a GPC meeting, GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman said that some PCTs were asking GPs to gather additional patient information when providing the pertussis vaccine.
Despite negotiating a national enhanced service (NES) with NHS Employers for GPs to provide the vaccine to pregnant women, Dr Buckman said some PCTs were imposing additional requirements.
‘We are sad to learn that a few PCTs have chosen to add additional reporting requirements that were never agreed and are not part of the NES,' he said: ‘We have told GPs not to agree to such nonsense and we have asked LMCs to object to such clauses.’
Dr Buckman said that GPs should provide the NES wherever possible. But he said that, if PCTs wanted GPs to gather additional information, ‘they should pay for it'.
He said that, where PCTs were not prepared to pay for additional work on top of the NES, ‘then you can't do the NES’.
Dr Buckman said that NHS Employers held the view that if PCTs wanted to add additional workload to the NES it would become a local matter.
He said: '[GPs] should stick to the NES and if there are extra things to do they should negotiate with the PCT, preferably through the LMC rather than as a practice.’
