Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to reimburse GP trainees who have not been paid by Capita since September 2015.

The reimbursement of trainer’s grants is linked with the administration of general practitioner (GP) payments. This is a service which is managed, on behalf of NHS England, by Primary Care Support England (PCSE). Historically, primary care support services were highly varied, localised and delivered using unsustainable technology.

NHS England were seeking, through this procurement, to create a consistent high quality service across England, that modernised the way services were accessed and provided, making use of newer technology wherever possible.

GP registrars are employed, and therefore paid, either by a lead employer or directly by a training GP practice. In the case of those directly employed by a training GP practice, PCSE is only responsible for reimbursing the salary and trainer’s grant to the GP practice. PCSE is also responsible for reimbursing the trainer’s grant in some lead employer areas. PCSE do not pay the GP trainee. As a consequence there have been no occasions of GP trainees not being paid by Capita since September 2015.

The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health and Innovation (Nicola Blackwood) had meetings with Capita on the dates listed below. These were discussions on Capita’s performance under the Primary Care Support Services contract.

- 18 October 2016

- 1 November 2016

- 22 November 2016

- 19 December 2016

- 21 February 2017

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) had meetings with Capita on 3 April 2017 to discuss migrant cost recovery. The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Prior) met with Capita on 15 October 2015.