What the new GP contact means for you

From 1 April 2026, the government is enforcing a new contract for all GP practices. We want to explain what this means for our surgery and for you.

Funding changes

You may hear that GP practices are receiving a 3.6% funding increase and £292 million in extra money. However, much of this is not new funding. As the original document explains, “these additional funds are money we receive already through alternative routes.”

Once rising costs such as energy bills, staff wages and inflation are taken into account, the real increase is closer to 0.7%. This means we will actually have less money available to run our services.

Changes to long-term condition care

The new contract includes updates to how we support people with long term health conditions. There should be improvements for:

• People with diabetes
• People with heart failure
• People who need help with weight management

We hope these changes will help us provide even better care for these groups.

New rules about accessing the practice

The government now expects GP practices to:

• Accept unlimited requests for help
• Place no limits on online forms or phone calls

This means we may receive many more enquiries each day. To keep patients and staff safe, we must make sure every request is assessed properly. Because there is no extra funding to hire more staff, we may need to reduce the number of routine appointments so we can manage this increased demand.

Same-day and next-day care

The new contract says:

• 90% of patients who need same day care should be seen that day
• This may include being directed to other services, such as Minor Injuries Units or A&E
• Patients with non urgent needs should receive a response by the end of the next working day, but this does not always mean an appointment

We already work hard to meet urgent needs through our duty doctor and urgent care team.

Seeing the right clinician

We must focus on clinical need, which may be different from what a patient prefers. You may not always see a GP. Instead, you will be directed to the most appropriate clinician.

For example, discussions about high cholesterol or blood pressure will be dealt with by one of our Pharmacy Technicians, or a Clinical Pharmacist, rather than a GP.

This helps us use our team’s skills effectively and ensures patients are seen by the right person.

Possible changes to how we work

To keep care safe and effective, we may need to:

• Introduce waiting lists for routine appointments
• Follow up more efficiently
• Send text messages instead of booking follow up GP appointments in some cases

These changes will help us manage demand and protect appointment availability for those who need it most.

Working together

We are always reviewing how we work and looking for ways to improve. We continue to work closely with our Patient Participation Group when planning changes.

Thank you for supporting the new ways we monitor long term conditions and medications. When patients complete questionnaires and use the booking links we send, it saves us time and helps us care for more people.

Please support your local surgeries while we adapt to these enforced changes.  We will be delivering the safest and most effective care we can within the contractual rules and funding provided to Primary Care.  

If you are not happy with these changes, please contact your local MP to lobby for change in support of your local GP.

Published: Mar 25, 2026