NHS England has set out the contractual terms for hiring GPs under the ARRS, stipulating that they must have qualified under two years before employment.
The updated PCN Directed Enhanced Service (DES), published today, revealed that GPs who have been ‘substantively employed’ at a practice previously are also ruled out of the expanded scheme, and GPs cannot be employed on a locum basis via the ARRS.
The maximum reimbursement PCNs can claim for these GPs, who can be employed from 1 October, is £92,462 across England, except for those hired in London where it is £95,233 – and these amounts include ’employer on-costs for NI and pension’.
With less than a week until October, this new DES sets out full details on the expansion of the ARRS to GPs, which was first announced by health secretary Wes Streeting in August as an ’emergency measure’ to tackle unemployment among newly-qualified GPs.
Pulse reported on GP concerns earlier this week about the lack of time to prepare for this change and the delays that may ensue from October in hiring new GPs, some of whom are ‘desperate for work’.
In the updated contract documents, NHS England has made clear that the extra £82m of funding for ARRS GPs will ‘not be part of the PCN baseline’ and will be part of a separate ‘GP sum’.
GP eligibility for recruitment under the ARRS
A PCN may claim reimbursement for General Medical Practitioners from within the Additional Roles Reimbursement GP Sum and in accordance with the terms set out in this section 7.3, section 10 and Table 3c, except where:
a) General Medical Practitioners have been substantively employed as a General Medical Practitioner in general practice previously, subject to express agreement with the commissioner; or
b) the General Medical Practitioner is to be employed in a temporary capacity i.e. locums; and/or
c) the General Medical Practitioner is beyond the second anniversary of their certificate of completion of training, issued by the General Medical Council, at the start of their employment or engagement.
Source: NHS England
The current terms for the other 13 ARRS roles state that employment must be ‘intended for a minimum of six months’.
But the DES said this rule does not apply to GPs, since the funding is only available until the end of March so many may be employed on contracts for less than six months.
For all other roles, PCNs must also provide a ‘workforce plan’ to the ICB, but this is ‘optional’ for GP roles.
Funding for the new ARRS GP roles has been calculated at £1.303 multiplied by the PCN’s weighted population, as at the start of 2024.
NHS England has also stipulated that PCNs ensure any ARRS GPs are ’employed or engaged on terms and conditions which are no less favourable’ than the model contract for English salaried GPs at GMS practices.
The updated contract also showed that NHS England has uplifted core PCN funding, payments for the enhanced access service and for the care premium as part of its commitment to meet the review body’s recommended pay rise for GPs.
Correction: This article was updated on 26 September to remove references to a GP ‘salary’ – the amounts of £92,462 and £95,233 for London refer to the ‘maximum reimbursement amounts’ PCNs can claim for GPs, including on-costs, rather than a set salary.
Why doesn’t the funding match that of newly qualified consultants?
the whole PCN sh1tshow is total fiasco. example of micromanagement leading to waste on epic scale.
why exclude experienced GPs, GPs who are employed elsewhere or Locums?
So just over £8000 per session effectively. 🤔
So any newly qualified GP who has done even a single locum session is excluded. And all the GPs on sponsored visas by virtue of being employed by their sponsor will also be excluded. Is this a joke?
outrageous
If this kind of blatant discrimination isn’t illegal it should be. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was illegal but our government are working on the basis the legal system is sooooo slow it doesnt matter. It will all be history before the first lawyer has agreed a fee to discuss it with anyone
Details released at the last minute
Pay banding is way too low.
Funding only guaranteed for a temporary basis…..
But not allowed to employ a GP on a temporary basis.
A less in how to commit to spending loads of money, then find a way to spend as little as possible.
I can’t really grasp what the pay banding is, weighted pop x £1.3 = x
Is that for 6 months, is it for FTE or is that the money you’re allowed to spend
If it’s 8k per session as someone mentioned above, it’s a pay cut to finish GP training???
Come to Canada. You’ll love it.
This just reiterates that
1) NHS England does not understand equal pay law and the Equality Act 2010
2) NHS England still hates general practice, and in particular partners.
2) Does not matter what DHSC decides to do, due to 2) NHS England will always put hurdles in the way.
& what happens to the other c. 10,000 GPs who are currently unemployed, including over 1,000 newly qualified GPs who are not covered by the scheme above? Add them to the scrap heap while continuing the dangerous experiment of trying out non doctors on the public instead of real ones? Don’t forget another 4,000 GPs qualify over the next 10 months, who will also all be hunting for jobs of course. How can the ‘GP’ profession survive? Untenable situation.
NHSE – the last refuge of the incompetent.
Rubbish hold music by Labour Govt while we wait for the Big Announcement in the October Budget. We better get good news then…
The updated ARRS scheme for hiring newly-qualified GPs under restrictive conditions feels like a missed opportunity to address GP shortages effectively. Limiting eligibility to GPs within two years of qualification and excluding those with substantive experience or locum status reduces flexibility and adds unnecessary hurdles for practices already stretched thin. With the scheme only offering short-term funding until March, it lacks the long-term support and stability GPs need to thrive. NHS England should focus on more comprehensive, flexible measures to truly support GPs and tackle the workforce crisis in primary care.