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Accessing New to Partnership Funding

Read time : 3 mins        Added:  24/02/2023

The New to Partnership Payment Scheme (N2PP) is a new commitment introduced in 2020 with the intention of growing the number of partners working in general practice by offering additional support in relation to funding and training.

The scheme began accepting applicants from 1 July 2020, with those who accepted a partnership role on or after 1 April 2020 being eligible to apply. It was anticipated that the scheme will run until March 2022.

N2PP consists of two elements:

  • A grant of up to £20,000 to support establishment as a new partner, plus a contribution of £4,000 towards tax and national insurance. It is not pensionable.
  • Up to £3,000 business training allowance to support early partnership skills development.

How is funding calculated?

The £20,000 funding is calculated pro-rata to hours worked, based on 9 sessions or 37.5 hours being full time (a session is defined as 4 hours and 10 minutes). The maximum grant for a full-time partner is £24,000. The £3,000 training allowance is paid in full regardless of sessions worked.

“The new partner is required to maintain their partnership role for a minimum of one year otherwise they will not receive reimbursement of training costs incurred.”

Who is the scheme open to?

The scheme was initially open to healthcare professionals in the following roles: General Practitioners, Nurses (including ANPs), Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Physiotherapists, Paramedics, Midwives, Dietitians, Podiatrists, Occupational Therapists and Mental Health Practitioners.

From 1 March 2021 this was expanded to include Physician Associates. NHS England have confirmed that they hope to extend the scheme to Practice Managers at some point in the future.

To be eligible for N2PP, applicants must:

  • Be a healthcare professional working in general practice, registered with their respective professional body and delivering clinical care to patients in general practice through a GMS/ PMS/ APMS contract.
  • Not have been a partner in a GP practice before.
  • Hold a profit-share in a legally-liable partnership position (applicants cannot be employed on a salaried basis).
  • Commit to remaining a partner in a GP practice for five years (or pay back a portion of the grant).
  • Deliver a minimum of two clinical sessions per week in the practice throughout the five-year period.
  • Have signed a partnership agreement on or after 1 April 2020 and before the scheme’s closure.
  • Have a minimum of two years remaining on their contract.

If the participant increases or decreases their hours or leaves the partnership, the sum is adjusted to hours and years worked, subject to a cap. If fewer hours are worked during the five-year period, there may be a clawback of monies which will be identified via an annual reconciliation process. The grant can be transferred to another partnership.

The new partner is required to maintain their partnership role for a minimum of one year otherwise they will not receive reimbursement of training costs incurred.

Training

Training should commence within one year of accepting the partnership role and the claim should be submitted within 3 months of purchasing the training.

The training should support skills related to the delivery of a partnership role and may include legalities of partnerships and networks, financial management, IT, HR, operational management, strategy and change management, leadership and personal resilience.

Receiving payments

The payment is made in one lump sum on GMS/PMS contracts. For APMS contracts this is paid in line with the length of the contract, which must have a minimum of two years remaining. A further payment can be applied for once a new contract is signed.

“The training should support skills related to the delivery of a partnership role and may include legalities of partnerships and networks, financial management, IT, HR, operational management, strategy and change management, leadership and personal resilience.”

Jenny Hurst is a partner in the healthcare team at BHP, Chartered Accountants, working with and advising GP practices, GP Federations and Primary Care Networks, to provide ongoing advice and support visit here.

Apply online for the scheme here.

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