One-fifth of general medical practitioners will be working for the NHS under personal medical services (PMS) contracts, rather than the long-standing general medical services contract, from April, 2001. The Department of Health expects the proportion to rise to a third by 2002 and to over half within the next four years.
A new PMS core contract, to be introduced next year, will require practices to comply by 2002 with all patient requests to see a health professional within 24 hours and to see a GP within 48 hours. There will be a minimum requirement of 30 hours a year of continuing professional development and three clinical audits a year. PMS practices will also have to implement national service frameworks for health care.