GPC England's LMC Update: 25 March 2025

Dear colleagues

GPC England receives commitment to full renegotiation of a new GP contract

On the 27th February GPC England (GPCE) voted to accept the 2025/26 contract changes contingent upon written assurance to the profession from the Secretary of State Wes Streeting around a new substantive GP practice contract being negotiated in this parliamentary cycle.

Last week we received the Government’s commitment, in writing:

“to working with the GPC England to secure a new substantive GP contract within this Parliament, without preconditions, based on collaborative work, and in the spirit of mutual trust and good faith, with general practice at the heart of a neighbourhood health service”. Read the letter >

This means that we can now fully accept the 2025-26 contract changes. Online contract webinars and guidance are being developed to help support practices and GPs in better understanding what these changes will mean. We will be sharing more guidance and FAQs about the 2025/26 contract very soon.

GPCE believes that the 2025/26 agreement and written government commitment to the negotiation of a new GP contract, are important first steps of a longer journey of recovery and rebuilding of trust.  We hope that this signals the start of a relationship reset, where the Government is listening to GPs’ concerns and acting on them.  

GPC England met on 20 March, where we discussed next steps on key aspects of the 2025/26 contract and we look forward to working with the Government on a new substantive contract to provide hope, safety, and stability, for our patients, staff and the future of general practice: enabling the return of the family doctor.  

We would like to offer our sincere and deep thanks to everyone who has helped us by their efforts in taking collectiveaction.  Without you and your hard work this would have not been possible. Many of the items on the collective action menu are superseded by the 2025/26 contract. We will be focusing on what is needed locally and we strongly recommend practices follow safe working guidance.

We advise practices to continue to engage with their LMCs and negotiate and secure appropriate resourcing to support the delivery of safe patient care, helping to stop patients falling through gaps in local commissioning.

These 2025/26 changes represent an important first step towards the recovery of General Practice services in England and set us on a path towards making NHS general practice once again the jewel in the NHS crown.

Read the press statement and watch Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer’s speech to conference:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEr6bHnHjMM

Declaration of completion for “simpler online requests” in the 2024/25 PCN DES

As part of collective action, GPC England has previously advised practices and primary care networks (PCNs) to defer signing up to the 2024/25 PCN DES (Directed Enhanced Service) CAIP (Capacity and Access Improvement Payment) voluntary incentive component – “simpler online requests”, which requires PCN member practices to enable patient access for e-consultations with the intention of this being available throughout core hours.  

Now that agreement has been reached on the 2025/26 GMS and PCN DES contracts, we would advise PCNs and practices with outstanding claims for this component of the CAIP incentive, if they wish to accept this requirement, to submit their claim ahead of the March 31st 2025 deadline. 

As per the DES Specification a PCN “can notify the commissioner at any time prior to 31 March 2025” and following receipt of the CAIP payment form, the commissioner will arrange for payment of the relevant amount for that part of the CAIP, representing the full years’ payment in such a case. 

We continue to encourage practices to follow existing GPC England Safe Working Guidance. Further information pertaining to the PCN DES for 2024/25 can be found here. 

GP Contract Webinars 2025

Join us to hear the GPC England Officer team update on the new 2025/26 GP contract changes. There will be an opportunity for Q&A.  Please see dates and times with registration links below:

·       Wednesday 9 April 19:00-21:00             Register here

·       Thursday 10 April 12:00- 14:00               Register here

·       Wednesday 23 April 19:00-21:00           Register here

·       Thursday 24 April 12:30- 14:30               Register here

Read more about the contract changes and webinars here: GP contract 2025/26 changes

March collective action tracker survey

Thank you to those who have participated in the collective action tracker surveys so far. The March action tracker will be the final one in its present format. We will be updating and modifying the format for future iterations, so please keep an eye out for this. The survey is open and closes at 5pm on Monday 31 March - please encourage all GP partners and practices managers to complete the survey. 

Parliamentary activity

National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Bill

The National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Bill, which will enshrine into law the increases to NICs, was debated in the Lords on 25 February. During the report stage of the Bill a Liberal Democrat amendment to exempt the health sector from NICs hikes, which included GP practices, was passed.

However, when the Bill returned to the Commons, they Commons voted to reject the Lords’ amendment, meaning that GP practices and other healthcare providers will continue to face increased employer NICs. The Bill will now go on to complete its final stages.

Meetings

Last week GPCE met with Dr Luke Evans MP, Shadow Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to discuss current issues impacting GPs, the discussion included funding, GP unemployment the NICs Bill, ARRS, workload pressures and general challenges facing GPs and practices.

UK LMC Conference - Registration deadline - 3 April

The registration deadline to attend the UK LMC Conference is 3 April 2025. Instructions on how to register were sent to all LMCs on 6 December 2024. Please note that if you haven't been registered by this deadline you will not be eligible to attend the conference, even if dinner/hotels/trains etc have been booked.   It is the LMCs responsibility to ensure that all their reps and observers are registered.  If you are unsure if you have been registered, then please email Karen Day at kday@bma.org.uk.Any other queries can be sent to info.lmcconference@bma.org.uk

GPC England regional elections

Voting is open for members of GPC England for the 24-27 session from the following regions:

·       Barking & Havering, Redbridge & Waltham Forest and City & Hackney

·       Cumbria and Lancashire

·       South & West Devon and Kernow

·       Kent

·       Surrey and Croydon

·       East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire

·       Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield

Voting closes at 12pm on 14 April 2025. For more information, please visit the GPCE England website.

Sessional GPs Committee elections

The Sessional GP Committee (SGPC) has opened voting for 16 elected members of the committee. Election counting rules will be applied to ensure that a candidate will be elected from each of the committee’s thirteen regions. The committee’s regions are based on the BMA’s ten English regional councils, in addition to one representative in each of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Voting will close at 12pm on Monday 14th April 2025. For more information on these elections, please visit the BMA Sessional GP Committee webpage.

Read the latest GPCE bulletin:

Government new GP contract commitment | 2024/25 PCN DES CAIP | GP contract webinars

Dr Samira Anane

GPC England Deputy Chair

Email: info.lmcqueries@bma.org.uk (for LMC queries)

Email: info.gpc@bma.org.uk (for GPs and practices)