CDs welcome notion that practices should check their finances

PCN clinical directors have welcomed calls for practices to double check the income they are receiving from their networks.

Experts from the Association of Independent Specialist Medical Accountants (AISMA) said an average practice should earn around £150k to £200k a year from its network. But it warned that practices can be ‘totally unaware’ on their network’s financial position and not be paid in a consistent or timely manner.

Jim Duggan, board member at AISMA and a partner at Albert Goodman told our sister title Management in Practice that practices should engage with their PCN to check money is being distributed to them regularly and that they are providing regular financial reports.

‘It is vital that proper, timely accounts are prepared showing income and allocations,’ Mr Duggan said.

‘I have seen situations where nothing has been paid by PCNs and practices are clamouring for money.’

However, clinical directors have welcomed calls for practices to check their finances, saying that it can be ‘incredibly difficult’ for PCNs to distribute the money to practices due to the way it is paid to them.

Dr Saul Kauffman, clinical director at St John’s Wood and Maida Vale PCN and GP at St John’s Wood medical practice, said his practice used to be the lead in the PCN, which meant they were the ‘paymaster’.

The practice received all the money for the PCN but did not always get a remittance slip telling them where the money was meant to go.

‘£10,000 can land in the practice account and you don’t know what that’s for – is that from NHS England for the practice? Is that from NHS England for the PCN? And what is it for? That’s very difficult when you’ve got lots of other stuff coming in,’ he said.

After having this issue for a couple of years, they took the decision to move the income up a level to the GP Federation, which encompasses four PCNs.

He said: ‘It’s much better for us as a PCN and much much better for us as a lead practice, because we never wanted it in the first place and it’s been a huge headache, a huge amount of work for the practice manager and accountant to go through it line by line.’

He added that it would be ‘potentially helpful’ for practices to come to the PCN or lead practice with what they think they’re owed, and in general that it is ‘better just to work through it together’.

Dr Laura Mount, clinical director at Central and West Warrington PCN added that practices should ‘expect’ to see regular financial information from their PCNs.

She said: ‘PCNs are receiving public money therefore they have duty to ensure it is utilised correctly.  Practices as members of the PCN should expect to receive regular financial information and annual accounts to ensure good governance and effective running.’