What is a Local Medical Committee?

What is a Local Medical Committee (LMC)?

A Local Medical Committee (LMC) is the body statutorily recognised by successive NHS Acts as the professional organisation representing individual NHS GPs and GPs as a whole in NHS England, including Primary Care Organisations. An LMC is structured to support all NHS GPs whatever their contractual status, including GMS, PMS and APMS GPs, sessional and freelance GPs and GP Registrars.

An LMC is the only elected professional body that represents the views of local GPs and practice teams, at a national and local level, on issues of local interest in general practice. NHS England and CCGs have a statutory responsibility to recognise local practitioner committees.   This covers GPs (LMCs), Dentists (LDCs), Pharmacists (LPCs) and Optometrists (LOCs). An LMC is an independent, self-financing body with statutory functions. It is not a trade union.

How is an LMC funded?

LMCs are funded via a levy paid by each practice. This is normally defunded at source by NHS England and paid directly to the LMC. The levy is generally calculated from each practice list size, multiplied by a nominal amount, but can vary according to the LMC constitution.

LMC income covers all of the operating expenses to provide an office and secretariat, honorariums for the Clinical Executive and expenses of its members. The LMC also makes a significant financial contribution to support the work of the BMAs national General Practitioners Committee. Whilst some LMCs are established as limited companies, most have a special status as a formed body.

Structure of Cleveland LMC

Cleveland LMC oversees the whole of Tees covering 1 ICB, 69 practices, approximately 400 GPs and over 600,000 patients.

Members of the committee are elected on a 3 year basis, and select from within themselves a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and other functionary appointments. Membership should be representative of all GPs, therefore including Contractors, Salaried GPs and GPs in Training. Several places are reserved for co-opted members to represent local senior medical staffs of hospitals, NHS England Medical Directors, Public Health etc.

Our team, led by our Chief Executive, are experienced in negotiation, facilitation, communication and the planning and delivery of primary care. Having represented at a national and regional level in private and public sectors they have expertise in business, clinical, political and economic fields.

The LMC meets 6 or 7 times a year, minutes are circulated widely to reflect the meeting. Business discussed includes national and local developments including proposed changes to contracts in order to form collective comment.

Representatives of LMCs meet at an annual conference which makes policy which the General Practitioners Committee is mandated to effect through negotiating with NHS Employers and the Departments of Health.

Find out more and stay in the loop

There are many great and exciting opportunities with general practice in Teesside and linking with CLMC is a good way to ensure you are ready to make the most of them. All GPs working within a practice within Tees (providing NHS services) and trainees on the Teesside scheme are automatically members of CLMC and you simply need to ensure that CLMC have your email details to receive regular updates of career opportunities, local developments and national changes that impact on general practice.

You can stay in the know and ensure you are on our mailing list by emailing Jackie.jameson@nhs.net or find out more about general practice in Teesside at any of the following:

Website - www.clevelandlmc.org.uk

Twitter - @cleveland_lmc

Linked In – www.linkedin.com/in/cleveland-lmc-tees-b38618121

CLMC Office telephone – 01642 745 811

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