College responds to Government pledge to review the Carr-Hill funding formula

College Chair Kamila Hawthorne responds to the Government’s announcement, made at the RCGP Annual Conference, of a six-month review of the Carr-Hill funding formula.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "A review of the funding formula for general practice is long overdue and something the College has called for, alongside an uplift in funding for general practice overall.

“A patient’s postcode and where they live should not determine the level of NHS care they receive. It can’t be right that people in deprived communities – who often have more complex health needs and would therefore benefit from health interventions most - are less likely to receive it, because GPs in deprived areas are responsible for almost 300 more patients per head on average than those practising in more affluent areas.

"We look forward to feeding into this review and working alongside the Government to ensure that a new funding model works for practices, recognises and addresses health inequalities, and ensures that funding is directed towards the areas of greatest need."

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.