Local Medical Committee

In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (U.K.), Local Medical Committees (LMCs) have been the local General Practictioner (GP) committees since 1911. [ [http://www.randblmc.nhs.uk/lmc-history.html The History of Local Medical Committees (LMCs)] ] [ [http://www.wessexlmcs.com/history.html The History of Local Medical Committees (LMCs)] ] They are part of the British Medical Association ("BMA") but must represent all General Practitioners in their geographical area which is historically coterminous with the successive Primary Care Organisations or other healthcare administrative areas. [ [http://www.randblmc.nhs.uk/about-lmcs.html About Local Medical Committees] ]

As the organisation and complexity of primary care has increased and along with the call for increased professionalism and specialisation of for instance negotiators, LMCs' administrative structures have developed from a pile of papers on the kitchen table of the LMC medical secretary to permanent staff and offices with substantial assets. This has allowed the LMCs to develop relationships ranging over time, topic and space between mutual suspicion and antagonism to useful cooperation for common benefit with NHS administrative organisations.

The LMCs interact and work with and through the GPC and with other craft committees and local specialist medical committees in various ways, including conferences. ["Local medical committee conference," "BMJ: British Medical Journal" 320.7351 (06/24/2000): 1734.] The Northumberland Local Medical Committee has been involved in "creating a general practice data set in England." [Malcolm Aylett, Allen Hutchinson, and Peter Mitford, "Creating a general practice data set: new role for Northumberland Local Medical Committee," "British Medical Journal" 295.6605 (10/24/87): 1029.]

They are funded by a statutory levy, of so many pence per patient on GP Principals and Practices, and generally receive contributions from non-principal GPs on various local bases.

They have recently rejected the opt-out model for care records in Great Britain, ["LMCs reject opt-out model for care records," "Pulse" 67.24 (6/21/2007): 10.] were involved in a nurse controversy, ["LMC stokes nurse controversy," "Pulse" 66.39 (10/19/2006): 7.] and became "divided over what the General Practitioners Committee's (GPC's) action should be on pay freeze in Great Britain." ["LMCs split over action on pay freeze," "Pulse" 67.15 (4/19/2007): 2.]

References

External links

* [http://www.bbolmc.co.uk/ Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire Local Medical Committee]
* [http://www.lincslmc.org.uk/ Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee]
* [http://www.nottslmc.org.uk/ Nottinghamshire Local Medical Committee]
* [http://www.solihulllmc.org.uk/ Solihul Local Medical Committee]
* [http://www.somersetlmc.co.uk/ Somerset Local Medical Committee]
* [http://www.lmclive.co.uk/ Wessex Local Medical Committee]