GP Contract 2024/25
GP Contract 2024/25
Watch Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer's GPC England Contract Update 
GPC England has rejected the formal contract from the DHSC and NHS England (NHSE) for the General Medical Services (GMS) contract for 2024-25.
After consideration at its meeting on 1 February 2024, the committee unanimously voted that the current proposal, including a 1.9% uplift, is unacceptable. The committee was clear that in order to prevent practices from reducing services or closing down altogether, a contractual uplift sufficient to keep practice finances stable for the ‘stepping-stone’ contract year ahead is imperative. The proposal as it presently stands ignores the compelling evidence presented by the BMA GPC England officer team, which quantifies the attrition in the item of service fees for vaccs and imms; the reimbursements eligible under the SFE and the contract value since 2019. A contractual uplift of 1.9% to the global sum would also be disastrous for the employees of practices, including salaried and locum GPs and GP nurses.
Details of the contract come at a time when a BMA survey of 10% of practices in England found almost two in three (64%) report being concerned about their short and long-term viability, and more than half (57%) have experienced cashflow issues within the last 12 months. We had estimated that up to one in four GP surgeries would need to reduce their services to ensure they can remain open for patients, yet this was before this year’s derisory contract position and proposed below inflation funding uplift. GPC England was unanimous in providing us with a mandate to return to the DHSC, NHSE and ministers in Government to continue urgent talks ahead of a final position, which the profession will be asked to vote upon, in a referendum next month.
We’ve said from the beginning, our door will always be open to ministers and their teams. We’re willing to do all in our power to find a solution. As such, GPCE officers will now seek further discussions with the Government and NHS England to improve the GP contract to bring back hope, safety and stability to all GP practices across England.
Referendum and next steps
We have produced a webpage with everything you need to know about the current GP contract changes and what we plan to do next. Remember, whatever is on the table come March 1st will be put to you in a referendum which will enable the profession to decide whether the offer sufficiently supports general practice in England for the forthcoming financial year, or not. to decide whether the suggested changes sufficiently support general practice in England for the forthcoming financial year, or not.
To be eligible to vote in the referendum, you need to be a member of the BMA to have your say. This means making sure your details are up to date and spreading the word to colleagues about joining the BMA. The referendum won’t prevent the Government from imposing changes to the contract, but it will give us vital insight into how the profession feels, and where we go next.
Update your member details on www.bma.org.uk/my-bma and share this email with your colleagues and encourage them to join the BMA today to have your say. Visit our GP contract page here.
