A Strategic Overview for Primary Care Leaders

The GP contract is the formal agreement between general professionals (GP) and NHS England that describes how they are delivered, finance and regulate primary care services throughout England. It serves as the basis of how GP practices work within the NHS system.

The GP contract consists of several key components:

• General Medical Services (GMS): The main contract in the possession of most GP practices, which describes the essential services that all practices must provide.

• Primary Medical Services (PM): An alternative locally agreed to the GMS contract with more flexibility.

• IMPROVED SERVICES DIRECTED (DES): Additional service practices can choose to provide.

• QUALITY AND RESULTS FRAMEWORK (QOF): A volunteer incentive scheme that rewards practices to meet specific quality standards.

• Additional roles reimbursement scheme (RR): Financing to support employment or additional health professionals within primary care networks.

• Investment increase: £ 889 million additional funds in the central practice contract and the network contract.

• Financing growth: 7.2% of cash growth (4.8% real growth): the greatest increase in more than a decade.

• ARRS IMPROVEMENT: More flexibility with a combined financing boat for patient -oriented personnel, including head doctors and practice nurses.

• QOF rationalization: 32 permanently removed indicators, with the approach changed to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

• Digital accessibility: Since October 2025, online consultation tools must remain open during central hours (8 am to 6.30 pm).

• New improved service: £ 80 million for advice and guidance to support the changing attention of hospitals to the community.

NHSE reports that the increase of £ 889 million in financing is the largest in more than a decade, demonstrating a commitment to strengthen primary care as part of the government’s mission to change hospitals to community environments.

These are some of the financial aspects of the contract at a glance.

These changes aim to benefit several interested parties throughout the health system.

• For GPS and practice personnel: Reduction of the administrative load of QOF; Increased financing for children’s vaccines.

• For community pharmacists: Improvement interoperability with the ability to send consultation summaries to GP practices.

• For secondary care: The new improved service admits appropriate attention for community environments.

• The wider NHS: It supports a better integration between primary and secondary care.

These changes are also to enable:

• Improved access to GP services through digital channels.

• A new patient letter published on practice websites, which shows what patients can expect.

• The reduced desktop desktop potentially, allowing more clinical time for patient care.

• Grant in the prevention of heart disease and stroke with the aim of reducing premature mortality.

• Share improved information among NHS services for better care coordination.

The practices and colleagues of the Primary Care Network will have been looking for modifications in the Arrs scheme, and hopefully, they are pleased to see that this allows the funds to be used for GPS and practice nurses or types and restrictions and give gray in the personnel numbers in the staff numbers, to address their specific needs of the workforce.

• The implementation of the contract begins immediately.

• New specifications and guidance will be published next week.

• NHS England Webinar on March 3 to share additional information.

• Practices to prepare for digital requirements in October 2025.

• Changes in the vaccination schedule will be implemented from July 2025 to January 2026.

The third annual PCN Plus Live The conference will take place on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at the Crowne Plaza in Nottingham.

The primary care of THC is a award -winning specialization of health consulting in the management of the Primary Care Network and the creator of the Podcast Business of Healthcare. With about 20 years in the industry, we have supported more than 200 PCN through interim management, training and consulting.

Our experience covers project management and business development in public and private sectors. Our work has been published in the London Journal of Primary Care, and we have written about 250 blogs that share ideas about primary care networks.