ICB explores new funding model for primary care

Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland integrated care board (LLR ICB) is working on a new funding approach in which it can invest extra money to the general practices in greatest need.

The model involves adopting a methodology to address historical underfunding of practices, said the ICB.

It has been developed by clinical lead for risk stratification in the LLR integrated care system, Dr David Shepherd.

Chief executive of LLR ICB Dr Caroline Trevithick described it as ‘an innovative model for discretionary investment by ICBs in primary care’.

As the goal of the new model is to better align funding with health need, the hope is that it will help to address health inequalities in the region.

Dr Trevithick said the ICB was working ‘really closely’ with primary care to implement it.

‘We’re really proud of the model. It’s a really positive model, but adopting it takes time – any kind of change takes time,’ she said.

The ICB is also planning a programme of resilience and sustainability to address poor staff retention in primary care.

For the past year, LLR ICB has been a people promise retention exemplar site, which has allowed it to explore the key drivers for employees leaving the system

Dr Trevithick said that attention would now turn to primary care and the ICB would place ‘key roles’ to help understand retention challenges. The data would then enable the ICB to develop measures to address the problem.

‘Doing that on an individual practice level is quite challenging but doing it collectively as a system might get us into a very different space,’ said Dr Trevithick.

The initiatives are the latest by LLR ICB to support primary care. Previously, the ICB established a means of helping ease winter pressures on practices.

‘We put in place a workforce hub – or workforce pool – to support winter pressures in general practice. It’s classed as a digital flexible multi-professional pool and has enabled us to onboard people via one of our provider trusts to support system surge to primary care,’ said Dr Trevithick.  

She said that she hoped the ICB’s track record of support would help negotiations with PCNs and practices.

‘I don’t think we’re coming at it with a sense of naivety – we’ve got 126 practices and 26 PCNs to negotiate with – but we’ve got clear examples of where we’ve done it in the past and supported them from a workforce perspective,’ she said.