GP contract announcement

Responding to the announcement of the new GP contract Ruth Rankine, primary care director at the NHS Confederation, said: 

“This contract sets out a range of welcome measures to support the sector, including confirming the biggest investment into general practice and primary care networks since the end of the five-year contract deal two years ago. This extra £889 million funding provides much needed relief to a sector that has borne the brunt of low financial uplifts over the last two years at the same time as significant cost pressures. The relaxation of rules around use of funding for the Additional Roles Scheme is particularly welcome and something we have been advocating for on behalf of our members for a number of years.

“Primary care leaders and their teams will also welcome the focus on continuity of care, which we know is proven to improve experience and outcomes and reduce hospital admissions. Our recent report – published this week – shows that the sector is supportive of the government’s ambitions to move care closer to home.

“General practice is facing record levels of demand, so measures to cut red tape such as reducing the number of targets and increase the time clinicians can spend with patients will be welcomed by our members. Allowing patients to request appointments online throughout the day will ensure that we are implementing modern general practice and using a range of channels to manage demand in the most appropriate way. 

“We hope the fact that the British Medical Association and government have agreed these proposals will be an important step to bringing collective action to a close. This is a useful first step on the journey of reform and our members look forward to continuing to support the Government’s agenda."