The health secretary has said he wants ‘to reset the relationship between GPs and the Government’, in a letter sent to the profession today.
Wes Streeting wrote to GPs today after the announcement that practices will be allowed to employ GPs as part of the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS), in the hope practices will be able to hire 1,000 more doctors this year.
The expansion of the scheme aims to allow practices to hire ‘newly-qualified GPs’ who face potential unemployment this summer and comes as GPs are due to start collective action today.
Mr Streeting said that general practice ‘has been neglected for too long’ and that the relationship he now wants with the profession ‘isn’t simply a contractual one’ but ‘a new partnership’.
He said: ‘I want to reset the relationship between GPs and your Government. Out of this crisis is an historic opportunity to be the generation that took our NHS from the worst crisis in its history to getting it back on its feet and making it fit for the future. Let’s seize that opportunity together, in a partnership.’
Mr Streeting ‘welcomed’ the ‘above-inflation’ 6% pay uplift for GPs that the Government confirmed earlier this week.
And he said: ‘The GP contract will be amended to uplift the pay elements of the contract by 4% (on top of the interim 2% provided in April) backdated to April 2024 – the first meaningful real-terms increase for years.
‘My teams in NHSE and DHSC will work with the BMA to implement this uplift to the GP contract and ensure this funding gets to practices as soon as possible.’
He also said that he is aware that ‘the contract needs reform’ and that adding GPs to ARRS is ‘an emergency measure’, with funding targeted specifically at recently qualified GPs – since recruitment into salaried GP posts ‘has not been prioritised’ by the previous government.
He added: ‘This is a step on the journey while the Government works with the profession to identify long term solutions to GP unemployment and general practice sustainability as part of the next fiscal event.
‘Some nurses are already within the scheme, and for now we want to address the specific challenge of GP unemployment, but we will keep the whole scheme under review.’
As part of the emergency measure, £82m was added to the £1.4bn ARRS pot to fund the expansion of the scheme in 2024/25.
But Mr Streeting said that these two moves are ‘simply the first steps moving towards more sustainable general practice’, and mentioned the 10-year plan – the ‘next decade of reform’ – and the Government’s commitment to increasing the proportion of NHS funding for primary care.
Ahead of the general election, Mr Streeting had promised that general practice ‘has a lot to look forward to’ under the new Labour Government.
But earlier this week, BMA’s GP Committee England said the 6% funding uplift will not be enough to alleviate practices’ financial problems; and today the results of a ballot of GP partners overwhelmingly saw the profession opting for collective action.
Good political messaging by Wes, but the NHS and general practice is in crisis now. So the messaging for the timescale should be along the lines of “40 days to save the NHS”, not a slow death over a 10 year plan. Don’t just talk about it but transfer funds from 2ndry to 1ry care stat – GPs are the most important part of the NHS.
There is no Keynesian economic reason stopping the Labour party changing fiscal policy and rules and fulfilling its mission of social fairness and justice, unless it’s sticking to Blaironomics..and pandering to the undeserving rich 1%.
Further evidence of the intent to destroy the jewel of the NHS Crown i.e. Primary Care via the PCN/ARR route . Nobody doubts the value of some of the ARRs (far more effectively and cheaply employed directly by practices) but there is plenty of doubt about the imbalance, insecurity, lack of control caused by PCNs and many of the self interested PCN CDs (exceptions accepted).
The flagrant misuse of NHS taxpayers funds by multiple PCNs over the years is clear to see in an attempt to destroy the independence of practices and by utilising PCN CDs to place patients at greater risk and inhibit the careers of their junior colleagues by filling their pockets with gold.
Lets hope this subterfuge and empty delaying tactic on this occasion is seen for its true colours .
The expansion of the scheme aims to allow practices to hire ‘newly-qualified GPs’ who face potential unemployment this summer. What about older experienced GPs. Totally age discrimination!