Inner London Executive Council of Family Practitioners , 1948-1974 Insurance Committee for the County of London , 1912-1948

Inner London Executive Council of Family Practitioners , 1948-1974 Insurance Committee for the County of London , 1912-1948

Under the National Health Insurance Act, 1911, certain groups of the working population, mainly manual and lower paid workers, could obtain free general practitioner medical services by virtue of their contributions to the scheme. The 'panel' system was operated by local insurance committees (in this case, for the County of London) who also provided pharmaceutical services for the contributors. In the complicated system of 'approved' societies, some contributors qualified for additional benefits of free or reduced cost dentistry or ophthalmic services. The Insurance Committee for the County of London had representatives from various interests such as insured persons, medical practitioners, local government and central government.

The Inner London Executive Council (ILEC) was constituted under the provisions of Section 31 of the National Health Service Act, 1946. The Act stipulated that an executive council should consist of 25 members, 8 appointed by the Local Health Authority for the area, 5 appointed by the Minister of Health, 7 appointed by the Local Medical Committee, 3 appointed by the local Dental Committtee and 2 appointed by the Local Pharmaceutical Committee.

The duties of the ILEC were to make arrangements for the provision of: personal medical services (including maternity services), proper and sufficient drugs, medicines and prescribed appliances to all persons receiving general medical services, general dental services, and supplementary ophthalmic services in the County of London.

The ILEC entered into contractual relations with medical practitioners and ophthalmic medical practitioners and opticians. Payment was made for the work carried out. There were a number of statutory committees: finance, allocation, medical services, pharmaceutical services, dental services, and joint services. Other committees were established to deal with ophthalmic services, obstetrics and general benefits (the last having most contact with medical practitoners).

The ILEC's main roles lay in acceptance and deletion of medical cards, together with the renumeration of general practitioners. Membership of ILEC was for a three year period; the Council included a Chairman and a Clerk.

The ILEC could nominate people to the Hospital Management Committee, it also acted in cooperation with Local Health Authorities over the establishment of Health Centres, and in consultation with the Local Medical Committee, the Local Dental Committee and the Local Pharmaceutical Committee. The Council met not less than once every three months, its meetings generally being open to the press and public, but closed for discussions of reports from service committees or if the Council elected to go into Committee.

The Committees acted as important bodies in the conduct of everyday business in specialist fields in a way in which the full Council could never function. The Allocation Committee dealt with lists of patients on practitioner's books. The Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Service Committees were disciplinary bodies for the professional services involved. The General Benefit Committee regulated the day to day problems in practice: entry into service, employment of assistants, surgery accommodation, leave of absence, variation of consultation place, use of drugs and advertising by pharmaceutical companies. The Obstetric Committee examined applications received from practitioners for recognition as having obstetric experience. Joint Committees between the professional services of between the ILEC and the Local Medical Committee could be set up to deal with matters such as vacancies or Fixed Annual payments (made to assist persons building up a practice).

The Executive Councils were abolished in 1974 and replaced by Family Practitioner Committees which were to provide administrative services for the independent contractors to the National Health Service.