tonythepony.co.uk / LMC quick calculator
A quick estimate of the break-even cost to a practice of an individual task requested by the health board — priced in minutes of staff time, not appointments. Uses the same pay rates as the BMA (SGPC) enhanced services calculator, 2026/27.
Don't include free or reimbursable items.
A "small ask" is rarely small once you count every pair of hands it passes through. Asking a practice to do a blood test before a hospital appointment might mean five minutes of admin time to set a recall and call the patient in, five minutes of HCA time to take the bloods, and five minutes of GP time to review the result, check the notes, and realise it wasn't for them anyway.
Nobody wants a transactional system billing for every few minutes — but at system level these small asks add up, and they need to be counted somewhere. This tool helps put a number on the cost of an individual ask, as distinct from a whole service.
| Role | Basis | Hourly rate used |
|---|---|---|
| GP | Contractor earnings for 8 sessions (£181,779) + 14.9% unreimbursed employer superannuation, over a 40-hour week, + 2.5% overheads allowance | £102.93 |
| Practice Nurse | Band 6 WTE (£50,702) + 14.9% superannuation + employer NI, over a 37.5-hour week, + 5% overheads allowance | £35.06 |
| HCA | Band 4 top increment (£33,016) + 14.9% superannuation + employer NI, over a 37.5-hour week, + 5% overheads allowance | £22.69 |
| Admin | Band 2 top increment (£27,900) + 14.9% superannuation + employer NI, over a 37.5-hour week, + 5% overheads allowance | £19.11 |
Rates match the BMA (SGPC) enhanced services calculator for 2026/27. Agenda for Change figures are the top increment on the most recent Scottish payscale; GP earnings are the most recent NHS Digital headcount figure adjusted to WTE and uplifted by DDRB awards. Heat & light (8%) and risk premium (5%) are fixed percentages based on BMA estimates, applied to the staff-time subtotal. Unlike the full BMA calculator this quick version does not factor in DNA rates or faculty membership — it's an illustrative estimate, not a quote.