The measures are backed by the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an extra £889m on top of the existing budget for general practice
GPs will be able to spend more time treating patients under proposed reforms to general practice which will bring back the family doctor and slash red tape.
The proposals fall under the new GP contract for 2025/26, which is now out for consultation with the British Medical Association’s General Practice Committee to provide its feedback.
Backed by the biggest boost to GP funding in years – an extra £889m on top of the existing budget for general practice – the proposals would also bring back the family doctor by incentivising GPs to ensure patients most in need see the same doctor at every GP appointment.
The proposed measures would also reduce the number of outdated performance targets that GPs must meet, in a further step to reduce bureaucracy and ensure doctors can spend more time with their patients.
Bringing back the family doctor and ending the 8am scramble for appointments were key manifesto commitments, and, through the government’s Plan for Change, action is being taken to deliver on those promises and get the NHS back on its feet. Patients, including those with complex needs, long-term conditions, or the elderly would experience greater continuity of care under these proposals.
The government has already launched a red tape challenge to slash bureaucracy, so GPs are freed up to deliver more appointments, with primary and secondary care leaders set to report to the Health and Social Care Secretary and the NHS Chief Executive in the new year with a raft of new proposals to further reduce admin and unnecessary targets. NHS England will hold practices and trusts to account if they fail to act to do away with such bureaucracy.This is particularly important to ensure GPs can focus on treating patients amid surging demand and an ageing population.
Hundreds more newly-qualified GPs and practice nurses are also set to be employed across the country under the proposals, with the government proposing to remove red tape and make funding available – under a scheme known as the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) – for more primary care staff to find roles in their community.