The 2026/27 GP contract includes a £485m funding uplift, with £292m of funding ringfenced for a practice-level GP recruitment scheme. The Government estimates this could translate to 1,600 full-time equivalent GPs.
The contract also includes a new requirement that all patients who are deemed clinically urgent by their GP practice must be dealt with on the same day and appointments will be required to take place that day in 90 per cent of cases.
As trailed over the weekend, the contract also strengthens the role of general practice in prevention and neighbourhood health services, including targeted action to improve childhood vaccination uptake, ensuring all those eligible are invited for lung cancer screening through improved data sharing, enabling earlier cancer diagnosis; and a £25m investment to increase referrals into structured weight‑management and obesity support services.
Responding to the publication of the new GP contract, Dr Duncan Gooch, GP and chair of the Primary Care Network at the NHS Confederation said: “We are grateful to the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England for involving the NHS Confederation in the consultation exercise to enable us to put across the views of our primary care members.
“We welcome the additional investment in primary care and the clear intent to stabilise core general practice through funding and streamlining unnecessary workload. After years of sustained pressure, these commitments are both necessary and overdue.
“Primary Care Networks and GP federations may be concerned to see a continued erosion of funding for at-scale provision to improve access and patient experience. Strong, at-scale infrastructure is not a ‘nice-to-have’, it is absolutely essential now and for the future if neighbourhood health services are to be delivered effectively, sustainably and equitably.”
Healthwatch England Deputy Chief Executive Chris McCann added: “The new contract will be welcome news for people who have struggled to access GP services. Plans to recruit more doctors should make it easier for patients to get appointments and ensure urgent cases are handled more quickly.
“People consistently tell us that GP services are becoming harder to use and that simply getting through the door for care can be a challenge. For example, we often hear from individuals who wait in long telephone queues for an appointment, only to be told that all slots have been taken for the day and that they must try again tomorrow.
“We also hope the changes to the contract will reduce the technological barriers people face when trying to access GP care, such as online booking systems being unavailable or switched off.
“Thanks to the experiences shared by the public, we were able to support the government in highlighting the public’s top priorities so it could develop a new GP contract that better meets patients’ needs. Their feedback enabled us to highlight the importance of clarity, fairness, and accessibility, and to ensure that people with complex needs, low digital confidence, or limited options are not left facing additional barriers to care.”
Sources:
https://www.nhsconfed.org/articles/health-care-sector-latest-developments
https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/response/2026-02-24/our-response-new-gp-contract
