After consultation with local leadership teams and national guidance from key organisations such as the LMC, BMA, and GMC, this document aims to clarify the rationale for not entering into shared care arrangements with private providers for prescribing or ongoing treatment. It is important for the safety and well-being of our patients, and the effective functioning of our practice, that we adhere to these guidelines.

Guidance and Rationale

 The Local Medical Committee (LMC) advises against entering into shared care prescribing agreements with private providers for the following key reasons:

    1. Quality Assurance and Governance: It is challenging to ensure the appropriate level of quality assurance and governance when collaborating with private providers, as these providers may not adhere to the same standards required of NHS services.
    2. Funding and Enduring Care: Shared care with private providers often relies on patients self-funding their care. This funding arrangement is not always guaranteed, which raises concerns about continuity of care and the long-term responsibility for managing prescriptions.
    3. Two-Tier System: Allowing patients who can afford private referrals to access quicker medication and treatment creates an unequal healthcare system, leading to a two-tier system where those with financial means may receive quicker access to care.
    4. Capacity Issues: Our practice does not have the capacity to meet the additional demand that would arise from supporting private sector patients. The demand would exceed the resources available in a publicly funded system.
    5. Non-Core Activity: Shared care with private providers is typically an unfunded, non-core contractual activity for NHS practices. The practice cannot accept this work without impacting the resources allocated for core NHS services.

 

This policy will take effect from April 2025. While we will not be entering into any new shared care agreements from this date, we recognise that some patients have already begun their treatment journey under the expectation of us supporting a shared care agreement. To ensure continuity of care and fairness, we will honour existing shared care arrangements for patients who have previously received a referral from us or for whom we have already received a letter from their private CQC-registered provider.

Published: Mar 27, 2025