Dynamic Purchasing System for the Provision of General Practice Public Health Services: NHS Health Checks and Sexual Health Services.

On 1st April, 2013, following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, Local authorities alongside health and other partners assumed legislative responsibility for a range of Public Health functions. These included ensuring population access to a range of public health services.

Providing access to the NHS Health Check Programme is a statutory requirement for Local Authorities. This is a population based cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme that offers face to face health checks to the population aged 40-74 without an existing CVD. Westmorland and Furness Council is expected to facilitate invitation for 20% of the eligible population each year on a five-year rolling programme. At present, the mechanism for identifying the eligible population is using GP practice patient information systems. GP practices are currently commissioned by their LA to invite and provide health checks for their registered patient population.

It is also a statutory requirement to provide access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services. Westmorland and Furness Council currently commissions a specialist service from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC). To improve access in local communities, especially more rural populations, this is supplemented by lower-level services commissioned from GP practices. GP practices are commissioned to provide assessment and treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and provision of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) for their registered practice populations.

Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking confirmation from GP practices across the Westmorland and Furness footprint to join the new Flexible Open Framework for the Provision of Public Health Services in General Practice starting from 1st April 2024.