Nuffield Trust response to GP contract for 2026/27

Responding to the government's press release announcing the new English GP contract for 2026/27, Nuffield Trust Director of Research and Policy Dr Becks Fisher said:

"These measures to hire more GPs and to encourage same-day appointments for urgent patients are good moves – although the funding settlement is much more sparing than the big boost we saw this financial year.

"We are currently in a frustrating situation where unemployed GPs are struggling to find work, as the public also struggle to get appointments [2]. Public satisfaction with general practice rests heavily on patients having access to GPs. Letting the pot of money for extra staff finally apply to experienced doctors is a step in the right direction.

"Allowing practices to clinically determine who needs a same-day appointment will avoid some of the problems with the cruder 48-hour target of previous governments, which tended to force a desperate 8am rush. This way, people who prefer to book something further out can still expect flexibility.

"The 3.6% funding increase set out here means GP funding next year will rise more slowly than the DHSC day-to-day budget as a whole, which is growing by more than 4%. One of the likely reasons will be the trade deal with the USA to drive up medicine costs, with another being money held back in case other parts of the NHS overspend.

"The government put in substantially more general practice funding this year. But today's announcement means that next year, unless there are additional in-year funding boosts, money will not be shifting towards GPs and their practices, despite the commitment to offer patients more of their care outside hospital."