BMA Accepts GP Contract Changes as ‘Starting Point’

The British Medical Association (BMA) has conditionally accepted amendments to the 2025-2026 GP General Medical Services contract. Its GP Committee for England (GPCE) approved the changes in principle but insists on a written government commitment to renegotiate a new national contract within this Parliament.

The proposed amendments, which include a funding uplift of £889 million, were described by the BMA as a “starting point” rather than a final resolution. It stipulated that the government must confirm the commitment in writing by mid-March.

Key Contract Amendments

The key contract amendments proposed include:

• An £889 million increase to core contract funding, plus £80 million for the NHS e-Referral Service, which provides advice and guidance to GPs from consultants.
• The funding increase tops up the £433 million already added to the contract last autumn.
• The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), which previously excluded GPs’ salaries from reimbursement, would now include GPs and practice nurses in the main scheme.
• There will be no cap on the number of GPs employed under the ARRS scheme, but it will remain limited to newly qualified GPs within 2 years of completing training and those who have not been substantively employed as GPs.
• Practice nurses included in the ARRS scheme must not have held a position within the same primary care network in the previous 12 months.
• The reimbursable amount for ARRS-funded GPs will increase by £9305 to £82,418, plus on-costs, aligning with the BMA’s salaried GP pay range.
• GPs will receive a £20 payment per request for pre-referral advice and guidance, with a review of secondary care advice available to GPs to take place in spring 2025.
• Item of service fees for childhood immunisations will rise by £2 to £12.06.
• From 1 October 2025, practices must allow patients to submit routine, non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries, and administrative requests via online consultation tools during core hours.
• Also from October, registered pharmacy professionals will have access to patient records via GP Connect (Update Record).

Financial and Policy Implications

The changes will increase contract funding by 7.2%, raising the estimated global sum per weighted patient to £121.90.

In a press release, the Department of Health and Social Care described the agreement as “a reset of relations” with the profession, following recent collective action that had “blighted the health service”. It would result in “slashing red tape and cutting box ticking targets”, thereby freeing up GPs’ time. 

Officials said the online request system would ease phone line congestion and help end the “8 am scramble” for appointments. 

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.”

BMA’s Position

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, GPCE chair, said patients had endured the impact of chronic underfunding. After 15 years of erosion in the value of practice contracts, the proposed changes “mark a turning point”, she said. 

However, Bramall-Stainer warned that true progress will be seen when fewer practices are forced to close. “The government must now deliver a new contract within this parliament for meaningful reform and vital investment,” she said.

The government must “put its words into action”, bring back the family doctor, and shift resources from hospitals to community-based care. “Only then can we keep the front door of our NHS open, provide timely patient care, and alleviate pressure across our entire health service,” Bramall-Stainer stressed.

Dr Sheena Meredith is an established medical writer, editor, and consultant in healthcare communications, with extensive experience writing for medical professionals and the general public. She is qualified in medicine and in law and medical ethics.