Exclusive: An ‘escalation process’ for addressing GPs’ urgent queries to Primary Care Support England (PCSE) – trialled by four LMCs earlier this year – is being rolled out nationwide, Pulse has learned.
It follows a number of GPs raising concerns around having queries answered by PCSE, often relating to problems accessing pension statements.
The new process allows LMCs to ‘escalate’ a GP or practice query where the lack of resolution is causing severe financial hardship, is a risk to an individual’s safety, or the agreed steps to resolve the issue have not been met by PCSE. It will be rolled out in a ‘phased approach’ over the next three months.
Capita, which runs PCSE, told Pulse that the trial was launched to allow LMCs to use their local knowledge to inform PCSE if a case should be prioritised over all others, such as due to safety concerns or financial hardship.
The company said that after a ‘successful trial period’ the escalation process was now being rolled out nationally and would also be opened up to ICBs and NHS England colleagues.
A Capita spokesperson said: ‘As part of our commitment to continuously improve the services we deliver, we can confirm we are planning to roll out the escalation process nationwide to LMCs in a phased approach over the next three months.
‘This decision has been made following a successful trial. It means LMCs will be able to inform us if a case should be prioritised over all others through their local knowledge. We will be in touch with LMCs as the rollout reaches their area.’
Pulse previously reported that LMCs involved in the trial could use the escalation process in three scenarios:
- Their constituent GP or practice is ‘experiencing severe financial hardship’;
- There is a ‘potential risk to patient safety’; or
- Their constituent has been ‘waiting for over 40 days since first raising the issue with PCSE, has a valid case reference (CAS) number and has reason to believe that resolution is not imminent’.
The trial was launched in March with four LMCs: Kernow, Essex, Wessex, and Lancashire and Cumbria.
Kernow LMC told Pulse that it had used the pilot to address issues raised by 14 local GPs so far, including some locums, with 12 relating to pension matters and two ‘wider financial matters’. It added that several of the cases had been dealt with by PCSE within 30 days.
A Capita spokesperson told Pulse that a further 28 LMCs have now been contacted regarding the process, and the final 20 will be contacted before the end of the year.
In March, it was revealed that almost 20,000 GP pension records were ‘in error’ and that NHS England was reviewing PCSE services amid ‘administration issues’. GPs were compensated £1.5m for pension contribution errors last year.
In June, Capita announced it had secured a three-year extension to its contract with NHS England to deliver primary care support services until 2025, worth £94m.
The BMA commented at the time that Capita’s handling of pensions administration continued to be ‘appalling’ seven years on from the company first winning the contract.
*This article was updated at 10:11 on 28/11/2022 to reflect that while the guidance for LMCs in the trial included being able to escalate cases where their constituents had been waiting over 40 days since first raising the issue with PCSE, this has since been changed. Under the new guidance, LMCs can escalate a case on behalf of a customer if the lack of resolution is causing severe financial hardship, is a risk to an individual’s safety or the agreed steps to resolve the issue have not been met by PCSE.
This should be helpful once rolled out, but the most straight forward solution that would resolve most of these issues is allowing GPs and other enquirers to talk or email dialogue directly with the PCSE officers who do the final calculations and submit to NHS Pensions agency.
Communication is always the key but not with the support staff who answer the phone or see the website queries, but who have little influence on the officers in the back office who do the calculations ( or more accurately fail to do any calculations or correct errors when and if are found). There should be a phone number and direct email to the officers with a 7 days max turn to Resolve (not just answer queries) guaranteed into the service. This is particularly important for those nearing retirement or max LTA contributions.
Left the NHS pension scheme based upon 2 things. Total lack of confidence in Capita administering it in any sensible or timely way and the 2015 section ruining my retirement plans for the future. No point locking the majority of a pension away for 13 years after you have retired 🤔
Capita should answer queries in 48 hours – not 40 days!
Wow we have such low standards and poor expectations of service – from a private giant which is failing yet still seems to be given contracts.
Its service is so poor it should have been fined and stripped of this failed privatisation model – and a return to a service that functioned far better than the mess we are left with.