GP contract reforms will fix the front door of the NHS and see the return of the family doctor, while helping end the 8am scramble for appointments
Biggest doctor’s union backs new government deal with GPs to fix the front door of the NHS and bring back the family doctor
Slashing red tape and cutting box ticking targets will free up GPs and take the first steps to end the 8am scramble for appointments
Reforms will be backed by increased funding to reverse years of under investment in General Practice
Agreement with the BMA on the GP contract for the first time in four years is a reset of relations after recent collective action that has blighted the health service
For the first time in four years, government and GP representatives have agreed reforms to GP contracts, to fix the front door of the NHS and bring back the family doctor, which was identified as a priority by the Health and Social Care Secretary when he first joined the department.
The new deal agreed yesterday (February 27) between the government and British Medical Association (BMA) will free up doctors from red tape and box-ticking targets to concentrate on what they do best – treating patients.
The new agreed contract will modernise general practice by requiring GP surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online throughout working hours from October, freeing up the phones for those who need them most, and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need. The reforms are part of the government’s Plan for Change to make general practice fit for the future and will support GPs in taking the first steps to end the 8am scramble for appointments, which so many patients currently endure every day - in turn improving access to GPs for everyone.
The deal for family doctors is backed by the biggest funding boost for General Practice in years, reversing the decade-long cuts to general practice funding as a share of the NHS budget.
Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, said:
“For too long, my constituents have found it near impossible to see their GP. I’m very pleased that the government is delivering on our manifesto commitment to bring back the family doctor and deliver a modern booking system to end the 8am scramble for appointments.
"Excellent primary care is the key to earlier diagnosis. That’s why our Labour government is reforming the front door to the NHS by cutting red tape and providing record funding for GPs.”
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:
“Rebuilding the broken NHS starts with GPs. Patients need to be able to easily book an appointment, in the manner they want, with their regular doctor if they choose.
“Today, we have taken the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble.
“Over the past decade, funding for GPs has been cut relative to the rest of the NHS, while the number of targets for GPs has soared. That’s why patients are struggling to get an appointment.
“This government is cutting the red tape that ties up GPs time and backing them with an extra £889 million next year. In return, more patients will be able to request appointments online and see their regular doctor for each appointment. Through the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, we will work with GPs to rebuild the NHS and make it fit for the future.”
Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services, said:
“Improving patients’ access to general practice is a huge priority for the NHS and this contract sets out the next steps to put the family doctor at the heart of the shift to a neighbourhood health service.
“This is the first time in four years that the GP contract has been accepted as proposed and I hope it will be seen as positive for practices, GP teams and patients when introduced in April.
“It shows how NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have listened and delivered on the priorities that matter most to patients and general practice teams, including a significant increase in funding and extra flexibility in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to recruit more staff including GPs.”
Other key changes include improved digital access for patients, setting out what patients can expect from their practice in a new charter and encouraging GP teams to identify patients with the greatest need that would most benefit from seeing the same clinician at every appointment.
Today’s reforms will be underpinned by an extra £889 million to fix the front door of health, bringing total spend on the GPs contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26.
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