Letter from the Secretary of State
Dear colleagues,
I wrote to you four weeks ago to explain that I understood the concerns and financial pressures facing general practice, and that I was committed to addressing them. Since that letter, I have carried out a thorough review of the NHS budget for 2025-26, including the funding going to each sector. I have had to make some very difficult choices. Despite the £22 billion black hole this Government was left with, I wanted to ensure we take the first steps towards the shift to care in the community I have promised. This uplift to general practice reflects my commitment to bring back the family doctor and put general practice at the heart of the neighbourhood health service.
The funding uplift for general practice is normally announced with all the other contract changes following consultation with the General Practitioners Committee of England (GPC England). This consultation is about to begin, but in discussion with Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer (Chair of GPC England), we’ve both agreed that it was important to provide reassurance to general practice that the proposed contract uplift reflects Government’s strong commitment to support the sector. We also wanted to reassure recently qualified GPs who are employed via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) scheme that I announced earlier this year that they will continue to be supported through the scheme next year. There will also be other proposed changes to the contract to bring about important reforms, the details of which will be announced, along with more details on the uplift and ARRS adjustments, following consultation with the GPC England in 2025.
I can confirm that the funding uplift we are proposing for general practice in 2025–26 will be £889m, representing a 7.2% cash growth (estimated at c. 4.8% real terms growth). This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the 5-year framework and means we are reversing the recent trend with a rising share of total NHS resources going to general practice.
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