GPs have the option of a new NHS pension payment arrangement following PCSE changes launched on 1 October, Management in Practice has reported.
PCSE has introduced a new service, ‘gov.uk Pay’, so that GPs can pay contributions on submission of monthly Locum B forms. Previously, GPs paid contributions by BACS in a separate action to filing monthly forms.
Dr Sara Chambers, NASGP’s LocumDeck Lead, said: “For a time following its launch, our guidance was to avoid the PCSE Online portal and instead use the traditional PCSE Contact Us Form route because we had reports of several issues, such as difficulties handling multiple Form B submissions, general instability and delays in Practice administrators logging in to Approve Form A. The good news is that we hear that these initial issues seem to have largely been resolved and the recent introduction of the PayNow functionality has added a potential major benefit.
“Both systems, PCSE Contact us and PCSE Online, now seem viable and equally acceptable. The best route depends on your personal preference on how to manage your admin. With the PCSE Online Portal there is more upfront admin as you have to type in all the dates of your sessions and fees to create your Form A. But on the other side you now get the PayNow option.
“It will be great to hear what members think of the Pay Now function, and we hope to pass anonymous feedback to PCSE.”
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “This is welcome news from PCSE, which allows GPs to pay NHS pension contributions upon the submission of monthly Locum B forms, as simplifying the payment mechanism, by moving away from the previous method of separate BACS payments, should ideally make administration smoother for busy GP locums.
“Our absolute priority is supporting our members through this transition. We are currently working to generate a compatible option within LocumDeck that will integrate with this new service. Furthermore, our team is engaged in talks with accounting experts to ensure LocumDeck remains compliant with these updated arrangements.
“We are committed to helping GPs manage their pensions efficiently and will advise our members when we’re able to provide this new feature that enables gov.uk pay functionality on LocumDeck.”
NASGP will shortly be publishing an article with a rundown of the process and the pros and cons of each method so you can decide which one works best for you. We will share a link to this article in a forthcoming digest email.