RCGP responds to Health Secretary’s GP funding promises

The RCGP has responded to the Department of Health and Social Care’s announcement of a ‘package of GP reforms’ including a funding uplift for the next GP contract.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "The Health Secretary has clearly recognised that the solutions to many of the problems in the NHS lie in having a robust general practice service.

"GPs and our teams already make the vast majority of NHS patient contacts, delivering care close to home where patients want it, and in doing so relieve pressures elsewhere in the health service. But general practice is currently grappling with intense workload and workforce pressures - and on top of this, practices are contending with the financial burden imposed by the NI hike in the Chancellor’s Budget.

“As such, today's commitment by the Government to increase the share of the NHS budget for general practice is positive news for patients and the wider NHS. We are also pleased to see the focus on ridding GPs of some of the bureaucratic burden that keeps them away from patients, giving practices more flexibility around hiring doctors and nurses, and the impetus on supporting GPs and our teams to deliver continuity of care, which we know has benefits for patients and the NHS alike.

"But while we hope this package announced today will help stabilise general practice and provide some much-needed certainty for hardworking GPs and our teams, there is a long road ahead.

“The GP contract is the remit of the BMA, not the RCGP, so it would be inappropriate for us to comment on forthcoming negotiations, but we hope this announcement is the starting point for constructive talks. The current GP contract is not fit for purpose, so a speedy resolution with an improved contract is in everyone’s best interests - not only for our hardworking but beleaguered GPs, but for our patients.”

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.