An integrated care board (ICB) is developing a local enhanced service so GP practices can be paid for each Ukrainian refugee they take on, as per NHS England’s instructions.
Last month, NHS England said that all systems must ‘locally commission additional capacity’ in order to deliver ‘robust’ initial health checks for Ukrainian refugees.
A Kent LMC bulletin sent to practices at the end of last month said that the then CCG was creating a local enhanced service (LES) where GP practices can first receive a payment for each Ukrainian refugee registered and then a further payment once they have been given a health assessment.
Practices can also claim for Ukrainian patients who arrived before the LES was introduced, it added.
On 1 July, integrated care systems (ICSs) became statutory bodies and took over commissioning responsibilities from CCGs, led by ICBs.
The new Kent ICB confirmed to Pulse that it would be continuing work on the LES.
The LMC bulletin said: ‘The CCG is currently developing a LES which it is expected will enable practices to claim for an initial payment per Ukrainian resident registered with the practice and a follow-up payment on confirmation of completion of an initial health assessment’.
It added: ’Practices will be able to claim retrospectively to cover patients who arrived under relevant visa schemes before this LES was set up.’
The Government said in April that GPs should offer tuberculosis (TB) symptom screening to all new entrants from Ukraine aged over 11 and has confirmed that refugees will be guaranteed free access to NHS healthcare, including GP appointments.
The NHS had previously reminded GPs that proof of ID is not needed to register with a practice in updated guidance on providing healthcare to people coming from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, GPs fleeing Ukraine can receive free medical indemnity membership from the Medical Defence Union and will have their applications fast-tracked by the GMC if they wish to practise in the UK.
That is not the only ICB. There are others: offering for example a payment of £150 for each person who arrives in England under the Government’s Ukraine Family Scheme, who registers at the Practice and gets a comprehensive needs-met health assessment.
Just imagine if other refugees heard of this.
And the public for that matter.
There is plenty of money floating when it comes to justifying a war, and selling billions of pounds of arms and missiles.
Good trade-off UK, well done.