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<p>As part of the New Care Models Programme, NHS England is supporting local health
and care commissioners and providers to come together to improve the health and care
they provide. This includes the development of population-based care models known
as integrated Primary and Acute Care Systems and Multispecialty Community Providers
(MCPs). Where and how to develop new care models are decisions taken by local partnerships,
in response to local conditions. The Programme is not directing or requiring the amalgamation
of primary care centres.</p><p> </p><p>There are 14 MCP vanguards, with a single organisation
accountable for joined-up General Practitioner (GP) and community services and some
specialist care, mental health services, and social care for a defined population.
The building blocks of a MCP are the ‘care hubs’ of integrated teams. Each typically
serves a community of around 30,000-50,000 people. These hubs are the practical, operational
level of any model of accountable care provision. The wider the scope of services
included in the MCP, the more hubs you may need to connect together to create sufficient
scale. All 14 MCP vanguards now serve a minimum population of around 100,000.</p><p>
</p><p>The majority of GP practices are already working in practice groups or federations.
This provides opportunities to expand services, stabilise practice income and work
at scale, which has benefits for patients, practices and the wider system. These include
economies of scale, quality improvement, workforce development, enhanced care and
new services, resilience and system partnerships.</p><p> </p><p>A new voluntary MCP
contract will be introduced from April 2017, to integrate general practice services
with community services and wider healthcare services. Measures from the GP Access
Fund and vanguard sites that are currently piloting this approach, will be learned
from to support mainstreaming of proven service improvements across all practices,
and funding will be provided for local collaborations to support practices to implement
new ways of working.</p>
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