Why Are GP Practices Changing?

21st June 2025 | Health

The General Medical Services (GMS) contract is the standard agreement between NHS England and GP practices in England for delivering core medical services, according to NHS England. It’s a national contract negotiated yearly, defining what services GPs are expected to provide and how they are funded. The GMS contract covers a significant portion of GP practices in the UK (and is 195 pages long!)

Key aspects of the GMS contract:

National Standard – It’s the primary contract for most GP practices in England, forming the foundation for the services they provide.
Negotiated Annually – The contract is renegotiated each year between NHS England and the British Medical Association’s General Practice Committee (GPC England).
Funding – The GMS contract specifies how GPs are funded for the services they provide, ensuring they are adequately compensated.
Service Definition – It outlines the core services that GPs are expected to deliver, such as patient consultations, preventative care, and health management.
Flexibility – While it’s a standard contract, there are provisions for additional or alternative services, such as the Personal Medical Services (PMS) or Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contracts.

Recent Developments

2025/26 Changes – There have been notable changes to the GMS contract for the upcoming year, including investment uplifts and adjustments to service delivery, according to the British Medical Association.
Ongoing Development – The GMS contract is continuously evolving to meet the changing needs of the NHS and the population it serves.

In essence, the GMS contract is a critical document that defines the framework for general practice in the NHS, impacting both GPs and patients.

Changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26

Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services [in England] wrote to all GPs saying:-
“The government and NHS England are determined to improve people’s access to, and experience of, GP services. The consultation on changes to the GP Contract for 2025/26 has now concluded and I am writing to confirm the final arrangements for the upcoming financial year…
The contribution of general practice is vital to the NHS and continues to be highly valued and appreciated.

The changes to the GP Contract for 2025/26 mark a major step forward in the government’s mission to shift care into the community, to focus on prevention and to move from analogue to digital. The changes also provide greater freedom to GPs by cutting red tape and empowering patients by improving digital access to practices.”

The 2025/26 GP Contract seeks to address the real-terms cuts faced by general practice since 2019 with a £969 million new funding uplift and restoration of Statement of Financial Entitlements (SFE) in line with 2025 real terms rates. This represents a 7.2 per cent total increase to core funds.

From 1 October 2025, practices will be required to keep online consultation tools open to routine requests for the duration of core hours. The scope for digital access and triage has been a growing priority since the pandemic, but the additional administrative workload of online requests has been hard to balance in some practices.

The reimbursable rate for GPs on the scheme has been uplifted in line with the BMA recommended pay range for salaried GPs (£9,305 to £82,418 plus onboarding costs), but previous stipulations on newly qualified status remain.
(All statements have come from NHS website)