Littlewick Medical Centre has won back £27,000 after the NHS withheld the cash following a claims mix-up
A dispute between Littlewick Medical Centre, a levy-paying practice of Derby & Derbyshire Local Medical Committee (LMC) and NHS England over reimbursement claims for childhood immunisations has been put to rest.
The issue was concluded with the Family Health Services Appeal Unit (FHSAU) ruling in favour of the GP practice and reimbursing a £27,000 payment.
The Littlewick Medical Centre had made a series of claims for reimbursement for childhood immunisations using the existing (now old) manual NHS system as opposed to a new online system known as Open Exeter.
NHS England had withheld payment on the basis that the practice had not used the correct system for claiming. After Derby and Derbyshire LMC took up this cause on the practice’s behalf, legal representation and costs to pursue the case were then supported by the General Practitioners Defence Fund (GPDF).
After many months of legal discussions, the solicitor was able to secure a decision from the FHSAU in favour of the Littlewick Medical Centre. The decision included a ruling made that NHS England’s communication of the system change had been insufficient.
A full and final payment has now been made to Littlewick Medical Centre by NHS England.
David Gibbs, COO of Derby and Derbyshire LMC, said:
“This was a vital issue for Derby and Derbyshire LMC to take up on behalf of the practice and one which may well affect other practices around the country. The support of the GPDF in recognising the value of the case in the first instance and then bringing its financial backing to bear to fund the legal process, were critical in achieving a successful outcome.”
Dr Gail Walton, senior partner at Littlewick Medical Centre, commented:
“This was a very significant matter for our Practice and our patients across Derbyshire. Childhood immunisations are fundamentally important and our ongoing delivery of such a service should in no way be compromised by the withholding of reimbursement for immunisations already correctly given.”
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