GP Federations became popular among English general practitioners after 2010 as a means to exploit the opportunities[1]—or mitigate the threats—posed by the Five Year Forward View proposals in the English NHS which envisaged delivering primary care at a larger scale than the traditional GP list. It is widely believed that ‘Practices cannot survive on their own – they have to look at ways of making themselves stronger.’ 15 sites were selected in December 2015 to test new enhanced primary care models serving populations of 30,000 to 50,000 patients.[2] Some, but by no means all, clinical commissioning groups have given financial support to encourage the formation of federations.[3]

As the British Medical Association explains there are many names and many organisational forms: federations, networks, collaborations, joint ventures, alliances. By 2017 it appeared that GP Federations were the commonest titles for collaborative arrangements which fall short of full merger or partnerships.[4] Both the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners were keen to support such developments, the RCGP having encouraged them since 2008.[5]

In January 2019 NHS England told clinical commissioning groups that they must establish primary care networks, typically covering 30-50,000 people, in their areas by 30 June. £1.50 per head of population per year is to be committed to ‘developing and maintaining’ them. The plan says networks 'will comprise a range of staff such as GPs, pharmacists, district nurses, community geriatricians, dementia workers and AHPs such as physiotherapists and podiatrists/chiropodists, joined by social care and the voluntary sector'. It is expected that the GP contract will be changed to require every practice to join one, and that all local enhanced services will be funded through the networks.[6]

Active federations

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  • Abingdon Health Federation[7]
  • Alliance for Better Care[8]
  • Barnsley Healthcare Federation[9]
  • Battersea Healthcare CIC
  • Bolton GP Federation[10]
  • Brighton and Hove Integrated Care Service
  • Bury GP Federation[11] - 30 of the town’s 33 General Practices
  • Cambs GP Network Ltd (Cambridgeshire)
  • Camden Health Partners
  • City and Hackney GP Confederation[12]
  • Conexus Healthcare (Wakefield)[13]
  • Coventry & Rugby GP Alliance
  • Croydon GP Collaborative[14]
  • Durham Dales Health Federation[15]
  • Ealing GP Federation[16]
  • East Leicestershire and Rutland GP Federation[17]
  • Encompass[18] (Canterbury)
  • The Fareham & Gosport Primary Care Alliance Limited.[19]
  • Fedbucks[20]
  • GPCARE Services Ltd[21] (Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale)
  • GP Healthcare Alliance Ltd[22] (Essex)
  • GP Health Connect Ltd[23] (Halton - Runcorn & Widnes)
  • Greater Peterborough Network Ltd[24]
  • Hadrian Primary Care Alliance.[25] (Northumberland)
  • Haringey GP Federation (Haringey, London)[26]
  • Hammersmith and Fulham GP Federation.[27]
  • Hartlepool and Stockton Health[28]
  • Healthbridge Direct Ltd[29] (Redbridge)
  • Healthstone Medical[30] (Poole)
  • Hinckley and Bosworth Medical Alliance.[31]
  • Iceni Healthcare Ltd.[32] (Norfolk and Suffolk)
  • Invicta Health[33] (Kent)
  • Islington GP Federation
  • Kernow CIC[34] (Cornwall)
  • Leeds GP Confederation
  • Lincolnshire and District Medical Services [35]
  • Liverpool GP Provider Organisation[36]
  • Manchester Primary Care Partnership Ltd[37]
  • Mid Hampshire Healtcare Ltd https://www.midhampshirehealthcare.co.uk/index.htm
  • Modality Partnership (Sandwell and Birmingham)
  • Newcastle GP Services
  • Nottingham City GP Alliance[38]
  • One Care (BNSSG) C.I.C (Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire)
  • One Wight Health Ltd.[39]
  • OxFed[40] (Oxford)
  • Panacea Collaborative
  • Pennine GP Alliance[41] (Calderdale)
  • Portsmouth Primary Care Alliance[42]
  • Primary Care Sheffield [43]
  • Procare Health Limited[44] (Guildford)
  • Richmond GP Alliance [45] (Richmond on Thames)
  • Rowan Healthcare Ltd[46] (Huddersfield)
  • Salus Medical Services (North East Hampshire and Farnham)
  • South Islington GP Alliance[47]
  • South Warwickshire GP Federation[48]
  • Stellar Healthcare (Epping Forest and Harlow)
  • Suffolk GP Federation
  • SSP Health (North West England)
  • SW Healthcare (South Worcestershire)
  • Sunderland GP Alliance Ltd.[49]
  • Taurus HealthCare Ltd.[50] (Hereford)
  • Tower Family Healthcare (Bury)[51]
  • TyneHealth[52] (North Tyneside)
  • Uttlesford Health Ltd[53]
  • Viaduct Health[54] (Stockport)
  • Warrington Health Plus
  • Warrington Primary Care Collaborative Limited[55]
  • West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing federation.[56]
  • WF Federated GP Network Limited.[57] (Waltham Forest)
  • Wyre Forest Health Partnership[58]
  • YorDales Health Ltd[59] (Airdale)

Yorkshire Health Network - covers all 17 practices within NHS Harrogate and Rural District

Defunct Federations

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Danum Medical Services Ltd, set up in Doncaster by 23 local shareholding practices went into administration in March 2016 after losing contracts for an extended hours hub and GP out-of-hours services.[60]

Horizon Health Choices Ltd. in Bedfordshire went bankrupt in November 2016.[61] It was forced to employ locum doctors which proved unsustainably expensive.[62]

References

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  1. ^ "'GP federations' are the future of the NHS". Telegraph. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  2. ^ "GPs in 15 areas to pilot 50,000-patient 'primary care home' model". GP Online. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Practices given tens of millions of pounds to support them in federating". Pulse. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  4. ^ "GP networks and federations". BMA. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Primay Care Federations feedback from the consultation". RCGP. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  6. ^ Lind, Sofia (11 January 2019). "CCGs told they must set up primary care networks by end of June". Pulse. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Six Abingdon area GP surgeries will open seven days a week from today". The Herald. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  8. ^ "GP teams work together with members of health inequality groups to expand their COVID-19 vaccine equity project". NHS England 13 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Life skills learned at army work-out for Barnsley students". The Star. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  10. ^ "About us". Bolton GP Federation. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Bury GP Federation". Bury GP Federation. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  12. ^ "Is federating putting GP practices at risk?". Pulse. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  13. ^ "HSJ Value Awards 2018: Workforce efficiency". Health Service Journal. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  14. ^ "About Croydon GP Collaborative". Croydon GP Collaborative. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  15. ^ "New service launched to help adults with mental health issues". Northern Echo. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Call to arms amid fears of 'new ploy' to close Ealing and Charing Cross Hospitals". Get West London. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  17. ^ "ELR GP Federation". ELR GP Federation. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  18. ^ "A&E waiting times set to be cut across east Kent following launch of innovative app". Kent News. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  19. ^ "GP practices considering 'John Lewis-style' merger with local trust". Pulse. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  20. ^ "NHS England director appointed to lead integrated care system". Health Service Journal. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Village Medical Centre Littleborough placed in 'special measures' following CQC 'Inadequate' rating". Rochdale Online. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
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  23. ^ "Working together to sustain real improvements in both the care of our patients and our working lives". GP Health Connect Ltd. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
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  25. ^ "GP-led fracture prevention scheme could save NHS millions of pounds". GP Online. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
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  29. ^ "One year on and health hubs are easing pressure on Redbridge GPs". Ilford Recorder. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  30. ^ "Trial Saturday surgery just what the doctors ordered". Bournemouth Echo. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  31. ^ "GPs set to depart Hinckley surgery". Hinckley Times. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
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  33. ^ "Managing rural practices without GPs". Practice Business. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  34. ^ "Liskeard plays part in £2.7m e-health project". Cornish Times. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  35. ^ "GP surgery to come under new management after financial difficulties". Sleaford Standard. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  36. ^ "Nurses protest over fears for future of community health services". Liverpool Echo. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  37. ^ "About Us". Manchester Primary Care Partnership. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  38. ^ "Nottingham doctors thank 'understanding' patients after NHS hack". Nottingham Post. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  39. ^ "MEDICAL PROTECTION PARTNERS WITH ISLAND GP FEDERATION". Island Echo. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  40. ^ "GP surgery with 15,000 patients relishing new challenges". Oxford Mail. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  41. ^ "MCP vanguard scheme funds indemnity and specialty training for new GPs". GP Online. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  42. ^ "GP alliance in talks over joint 200k-patient contract with hospital and council". Pulse. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  43. ^ "Five GP practices merge with hospital trusts to shore up their finances". Pulse. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  44. ^ "Virgin Care beats local NHS bid to land £17m a year community contract". National Health Executive. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  45. ^ "Richmond patients boosted by £2.6m grant for seven day a week GP service". SW Londoner. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  46. ^ "Private health firms show no interest in £284m Huddersfield NHS contract". Huddersfield Examiner. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  47. ^ "DOCTORS' BOSS GIVES UP SHARE IN PRIVATE FIRM". Islington Tribune. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  48. ^ "MPs speak out against hospital service 'auction'". Stratford Herald. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  49. ^ "Health chiefs bid to attract new GPs to Sunderland". Sunderland Echo. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  50. ^ "GP surgery plan at Hereford's walk-in centre". Hereford Times. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  51. ^ "GP practices merge to provide care to 50,000 patients". Management in Practice. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  52. ^ "New look health scheme is re-launched". News Guardian. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  53. ^ "Find out more about Uttlesford Health Ltd". Dunmow Broadcast. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  54. ^ "Viaduct Health". Viaduct Health. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  55. ^ "North by North West: What went wrong in Warrington?". Health Service Journal. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  56. ^ "US Iraq general Stanley McChrystal's firm is paid £420,000 by NHS". Wakefield Express. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  57. ^ "GPs to extend appointments to weekends". East London & West Essex Guardian. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  58. ^ "Brand new £6million medical facility opens in Kidderminster". Kidderminster Shuttle. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  59. ^ "New role for Keighley GP". Keighley News. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  60. ^ "GP practices face £20,000 losses as federation goes bust". Pulse. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  61. ^ "GP practices lose 'hundreds of thousands' as federation goes bankrupt". Pulse. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  62. ^ "Horizon Healthcare gives up on Lansdowne Surgery after just seven months". Bedfordshire on Sunday. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2017.