FP69 Patient List Validation Exercise – Further Update

Letter from Dr Chrissie Clayton | Senior Medical Director: Sussex and Croydon

I am writing with a further update on the national FP69 patient list validation exercise, which we know is causing significant concern for practices across Surrey and Sussex.

Thank you to all practices who responded to the recent national survey which we circulated on behalf of the LMC Support Network. Your feedback has been extremely helpful in demonstrating the scale and nature of the concerns being raised by practices, and in ensuring that the experience of Surrey and Sussex practices is reflected within the wider national evidence base.

I have attached, for your information, the recent briefing produced by the LMC Support Network. This summarises the concerns being raised nationally about the scale of patient deductions, the financial impact on practices, the administrative workload created by the process, and the potential patient safety implications where patients may have been removed incorrectly.

Counting the Cost – FP69 financial impact briefing paper

This issue is now receiving significant national attention. More than 85% of LMCs across England have supported representations to NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, seeking greater transparency around the process, improved safeguards for vulnerable patients, and a review of the pace and scale of deductions currently taking place. As I set out in my previous letter, Surrey and Sussex LMCs are among those signatories.

Locally, we are continuing to act on behalf of practices by raising these concerns directly with Surrey and Sussex ICBs. We have asked for clearer information about the local impact of the exercise, including the scale of deductions, the approach to identifying and correcting errors, and the steps being taken to understand any unintended consequences for patient access, patient safety, practice sustainability and health inequalities

To support this work, we would encourage practices to continue documenting the impact of the exercise locally, including:

1. Significant reductions in patient list size.
2. Patients who have required reinstatement following deduction.
3. Financial consequences arising from list reductions.
4. Additional administrative workload associated with the process.
5. Any patient safety concerns or unintended consequences identified.

This evidence is important. It helps us to challenge the process constructively, strengthen our local and national representations, and ensure that any discussion about FP69 list validation is grounded in the real experience of practices and patients. If your practice has experienced a particularly significant impact and is willing to share further information, please contact the SSLMCs office via Contact us – Surrey and Sussex LMCs.

We will continue to press for clarity, appropriate safeguards, and a proportionate approach, and I will keep practices updated as further information becomes available. Please be assured that we recognise the seriousness of the concerns being raised and will continue to represent these issues robustly on behalf of practices.