The Modality Partnership is a large provider of GP services formed in 2009. It operates in operates in 18 different locations in Sandwell and Birmingham and has 250 staff and more than 85,000 patients.
It claims to be a "super partnership".
The partnership is given a favourable mention in the NHS Five Year Forward View. It already conducts 80 per cent of consultations remotely using phone or Skype. Patients have an electronic care plan they can manage themselves, and digital access to consultant advice.
Sarb Basi, the managing director, said in response to the NHS Five Year Forward View that it would be a “natural, logical progression” to manage capitated budgets for health and social care budgets through an integrated care organisation, building a "coherent strategic partnership" with an acute hospital and working with Community health NHS trusts to incorporate nursing and therapy services. This appeared to connect with comments made by Simon Stevens to the House of Commons health select committee in October 2014 that he envisaged in Birmingham two large groupings of GPs - the Vitality Partnership and another which would employ geriatricians.
It is suggested that under Stevens' plan large primary care organisations like Modality could be in a position to challenge the dominance of NHS hospital trusts
David Cameron cited the partnership in May 2015 when he praised Birmingham's transformation of primary care.
Nick Harding, one of the co-founders, and chair of Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group was reckoned by the Health Service Journal to be the 47th most influential person in the English NHS in 2015.