Funding opportunities for GP alcohol inteventions?

Ministers have put forward plans for  £50 million of clinical funding that would be partly used to pay for Screening and Brief Interventions (SBIs) by GPs. The funding would see the development of a number of Locally Enhanced Services for GPs, a framework by which GPs are paid to screen and offer appropriate interventions to patients.

The clinical funding, if approved, would also pay for enhanced services for GPs to address osteoporosis, heart failure, improved collection of ethnicity data and annual health checks for those with learning disabilities.

However a number of obstacles are likely to affect the implementation of any such clinical programmes within the development of GP services. These include the pay dispute involving the British Medical Association (BMA) and concerns over the position of such proposals in relation to the development of the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF). Dr Ahmat Fuat, a GP in Darlington and deputy chairman of Primary Care cardio-vascular society, candidly rasied his concerns relating to alcohol treatment in primary care, stating: "You’d probably need £50m to tackle alcohol alone."

The Health Secretary Alan Johnson nonetheless highlighted the opportunities being made available within the new agendas, saying:

"‘This is about developing high-quality services with a strong focus on prevention. It’s a great opportunity for entrepreneurial GPs as well as social enterprises, voluntary organisations and the independent sector to develop innovative services."

Increasing numbers of PCTs are already commissioning alcohol enhanced services either through Choosing Health or other local funding streams such as in Lewisham.

For more information follow the Pulse medical journal for GPs.