The new GP contract will boost investment by £485 million and extend the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) to allow the hiring of more experienced GPs, the government has announced.
But under the 2026/27 contract, which comes into force on 1 April, a primary care network funding pot will be raided to pay for the recruitment of more GPs and increase the number of sessions at practices.
The details of the new contract were set out in a letter to GP practices and PCN leaders from Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England’s national director for primary care and community services.
The letter, seen by Healthcare Leader, says the contract will remove the restriction on the current ARRS scheme which only allows PCNs to hire GPs who have qualified within the past two years.
The maximum reimbursement that can be claimed for GPs via the ARRS will be increased so PCNs will be able to claim up to a maximum of the top of salaried GP pay range, she added.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting Secretary said: ‘We’re giving practices the flexibility to hire more GPs, and backing them with extra funding to do so. As a result, many more patients with urgent needs will be able to get an appointment the day they contact their practice.’
But Dr Doyle also said that that the contract will introduce a new practice-level GP reimbursement scheme to enable practices to recruit new GPs or increase the number of sessions from GPs already working in the practice.
This will be paid for by ‘repurposing’ £292 million in funding from the PCN level capacity and access payment (CAP).
The letter goes on to say that the ‘Capacity and Access Payment (CASP and CAIP) will be removed from the Network Contract DES [Directed Enhanced Service]’.
Dr Duncan Gooch, GP and chair of the Primary Care Network at the NHS Confederation, said PCNs and GP Federations could be concerned to see funding for at-scale provision being eroded.
He added: ‘We welcome the additional investment in primary care and the clear intent to stabilise core general practice through funding and streamlining unnecessary workload.
‘After years of sustained pressure, these commitments are both necessary and overdue.
‘Primary Care Networks and GP Federations may be concerned to see a continued erosion of funding for at-scale provision to improve access and patient experience.
‘Strong, at-scale infrastructure is not a ‘nice-to-have’ – it is absolutely essential now and for the future if neighbourhood health services are to be delivered effectively, sustainably and equitably.’
The other main changes to the contract include:
The addition of two new obesity related indicators to support referrals into structured weight management programmes and medicines optimisation;
- Amendments to targets around childhood vaccinations, which NHS England says will benefit practices in deprived areas;
- A requirement for PCNs to make arrangements for eligible nursing home residents to receive seasonal vaccinations;
- A new requirement that patients identified as clinically urgent will be ‘dealt with’ on the same day, with the GP practice determining which patients are urgent;
- Embedding the use of advice and guidance in the contract;
- Practices will not be allowed to request patients call back later, or cap the number of online requests from a patient;
- PCNs will be required to use risk stratification tools to identify and prioritise cohorts of patients for continuity of care.
