GPC England meeting and visit from Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care

GPCE met with Stephen Kinnock on 17th July. The Committee expressed its disappointment and concern around the lack of any mention of GMS in the 10 Year Plan, nor any progress toward the wholesale reforms to the practice-level GMS contract that the Government have promised, which indeed was a condition of the committee approving the 2025/26 contract and the profession ending dispute.

The committee had serious concerns about the accelerated pace of roll out of the 10 Year Plan, and the real risk of General Practice being sidelined, undermining the Government’s objectives. Despite the Minister’s verbal assurance of commitment to GMS, the committee were not sufficiently reassured of a commitment to the necessary wholesale GMS renegotiation beyond the usual annual adjustments for 2026/27 and beyond.

Whilst GPCE stopped short of voting to re-enter dispute, they were clear that the following conditions must be met by time GPCE meets on 18th September to avoid the possibility of a future return to dispute. The GPCE officer team will be meeting Government officials, DHSC and NHSE this week (w/c 28 July) to discuss the following demands: 

  • Confirmation of the funding envelopes for GMS 26/27 and the new GMS negotiation, together with SNP and MNP nominal budgets in this Spending Review

  • A roadmap regarding timelines for commitment to GMS contract renewal and investment

  • Transfer of the PCN DES ARRS monies into practice-level reimbursements with defined neighbourhood outcomes from April 2026

  • An emergency additional GP practice-level reimbursement scheme to reduce GP under/unemployment as soon as possible

  • Extension of the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice to cover liabilities pertaining to data-sharing and information governance for the GP patient record from April 2026; and

  • That Government is explicit in its preference for General Practice / GP practices to lead single neighbourhood providers and to be the key parties at Place in the selected National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) sites.

The Government now has an opportunity to provide the necessary assurances to the profession and GPC England will prepare for all possible outcomes in readiness for its meeting in September.