Background

Local Medical Committees (LMCs) are statutory professional organisations elected to represent all GPs in the locality.

LMCs were set up when the NHS was inaugurated and, although there have been countless changes within the NHS, the LMCs across the UK are the single element of continuity throughout all the re-organisations.

LMCs have continued to function and develop through all the changes in the NHS and the statutory role of the LMCs has been preserved by the 1977 NHS Act and subsequent amendments.

Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) have a statutory responsibility to consult with LMCs on a number of key issues, including GMS Regulations, Pharmaceutical Regulations, SFE etc, and LMCs have a right to consult with PCOs to advise them on a variety of concerns to GPs.

LMCs are independent self-financing bodies with certain statutory functions. They are not Trade Unions.

Suffolk Local Medical Committee

Suffolk Local Medical Committee (SLMC) is made up of GPs elected on a constituency basis and represents all GPs in Suffolk, excluding those in the Waveney area.

Funding

LMCs are funded by GPs to support General Practice.

In Suffolk, the LMC is funded through a voluntary levy paid by all practices in the area. As it is a practice based levy, all GPs in every practice are entitled to avail themselves of the services of the LMC.

The income is used to fund the administrative costs of running the LMC Office, reimbursing members for their time and travel on LMC business, funding the annual payments to the British Medical Association(BMA) and making charitable donations to organisations that support GPs and their families.

Elections

Elections in Suffolk take place every three years under the terms stipulated in the SLMC Constitution. Any GP included in the Suffolk Medical Performers List (excluding those in Waveney) can be nominated for election.

Representation

Wherever possible, SLMC works in co-operation with NHS Suffolk, the East of England Strategic Health Authority and other organisations to ensure that patients in Suffolk receive the best possible primary care services. The LMC will defend robustly the views of the profession in relation to providing quality patient care.

The LMC represents and advises on all matters concerning

GPs as Primary Care Providers:

• GP Contracts – GMS, PMS and Salaried
• GMS Regulations
• NHS Suffolk’s Policies
• NHS Complaints process and Disciplinary procedures
• Commissioning of local health services

GPs as Professionals:

• Profession-led regulation and professional standards
• Education and training
• Liaison with Consultants and hospital colleagues
• General Medical Council
• National Professional bodies – BMA, RCGP
• Occupational Health issues
• Liaison with other professions allied to medicine

Links with other Bodies

The LMC maintains an extensive network of formal and informal contact on behalf of GPs with bodies such as:
• East of England SHA
• NHS Suffolk
• Other LMCs
• BMA/GPC
• RCGP
• Dispensing Doctors Association
• National Association of Primary Care
• NHS Alliance
• Members of Parliament
• Local Government
• Other Representative Committees

Supporting GPs

The LMC provides help and advice to assist GPs in the whole range of activity they are involved in within the NHS. Such help is available on all matters relevant to general practice including:

• Contractual arrangements
• Complaints
• Premises
• Partnership affairs
• Employment matters
• Disputes with the PCT

Communication

The Committee believes that effective communication is an essential part of its responsibilities and strives to maintain and improve communication between members, officers and staff and the GPs that the Committee represents.

National Representation and Negotiation

National Representation

The LMC represents GPs’ views nationally through the General Practitioners Committee.

The General Practitioners Committee (GPC) is a standing committee of the BMA with full authority to deal with all matters affecting NHS GPs whether or not they are BMA members. It is recognised by the Department of Health as the NHS GPs’ sole negotiation body.

The GPC meets monthly throughout the year and every part of the country has at least one spokesperson on the GPC to present its views and debate key issues.

Suffolk’s GPC Representative is Dr I Hume who represents both Suffolk and Norfolk. Dr Hume regularly attends the LMC meetings where he is able to contribute to discussions and feedback from GPC meetings.

Throughout the year, papers are produced by GPC for discussion at LMCs and from time to time the GPC consults GPs directly through surveys and questionnaires.

National Debate and Policy Setting

GPC representatives and LMC representatives meet annually at the National Conference of LMCs. Proposals from individual LMCs across the country are debated alongside those from GPC.

The outcome of the debate determines the framework for the profession’s negotiations at both national and local levels.

National Negotiation

This takes place continually between the Secretary of State for Health and his/her team of negotiators and the profession’s national negotiating team. The profession’s national negotiating team is elected annually by members of the GPC and is supported by other professionals including lawyers, accountants, health economists and press and parliamentary advisers.

The issues negotiated nationally mirror those at local level.