GP CONTRACT 2026/27: Key Financial Headlines

The government has confirmed the financial framework for the 2026/27 General Practice (GP) contract, outlining a modest uplift alongside notable shifts in how funding will flow into primary care and how patients will be able to access the care that they need.

The contract allocates an additional £485 million to general practice, representing a 3.6% cash increase (or 1.4% real‑terms growth) compared to 2025/26. This brings the estimated total contract value to £13.86bn. The uplift incorporates an assumed 2.5% pay rise. This is rumored to result in a global sum uplift to £128.69 in 2026/27 from 123.34 in 2025/26.

A significant structural change this year is the movement of £292 million from Primary Care Network (PCN) level funding into a new practice level GP reimbursement scheme. 

QOF changes are financially supported by around £25 million linked to 18 new QOF points. These updates focus on priority clinical areas including diabetes, obesity, and heart failure. There are also changes to the childhood immunisation points allocation, where points could be achieved on an improvement scale based on a two year average, rather than achievement thresholds.

The advice and guidance enhanced service introduced in 2025/26 will be retired and funding will be incorporated into core practice funding. 

The maximum rates for ARRS reimbursements will be increased and there will be more flexibility to allow PCNs to recruit experienced GPs rather than just newly qualified doctors.

The 2026/27 package signals continued focus on capacity, access, and prevention, but brings only modest real‑terms growth during rising operating costs. 

The assumed 2.5% pay rise is below the Agenda for Change uplift of 3.3% and below the 4.1% National Living Wage uplift, so it remains to be seen whether there will be a further increase by the Doctor and Dentist Remuneration Body (DDRB) when they have completed their review. 

The removal of the advice and guidance enhanced service could create significant levels of work that will no longer be paid based on how much it is used. 

Capacity and Access funding is already used by many PCNs to fund practice workforce so there is concern that the replacement of this flexible income stream for a restricted reimbursement scheme based on further increases to GP capacity will result in an overall reduction of practice funding. 

Together with the non‑financial changes relating to same day access for urgent care, the continuation of all day online access and the collecting of more access data, this is likely to be a challenging year for a lot of practices. 

Further details of the new contact will be published in the coming weeks and we will discuss how the 2026/27 contract changes will impact GP Practice in our brand new seminars “Making Sence of the Numbers – Spring Update for General Practice”.