Consultant nurses added to ARRS in new network contract

Consultant nurses in primary care have been added to the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) in the Network Contract DES, published yesterday.

They join general practice nurses and healthcare support workers as new additions to the scheme for 2025/26.

From 2025/26, PCNs will be able to claim up to £102,683 per consultant nurse in primary care and up to £32,159 for band 3 healthcare support workers, which can go towards salary and on-costs.

The reimbursable amount for general practice nurses (GPNs) has previously been announced by the BMA and is confirmed in the contract as £43,352 for new to general practice nurses at band 5, and £53,319 for experienced band 6 GPNs.

The total ARRS funding pot has risen to £186m for the year and now includes funding for hiring GPs. This equates to £26.631 multiplied by the PCN contractor weighted population as of January, a rise from £22.894 24/25.

Core PCN funding has seen a very slight rise of £0.032 from £2.967 to £2.999 in 25/26, with £2.266 being multiplied by the PCN registered list size and £0.733 multiplied by PCN adjusted population as at 1 January 2025.

The enhanced access payment has risen by 45p from £7.975 to £8.427 multiplied by the PCN adjusted population size.

The care home premium has also risen by £3.053 from £127.20 to £130.253 per bed.

The capacity and access support payment (CAP), worth £204m in total, will remain unconditional for PCNs. Although it has dropped slightly from £3.248 to £3.208 and the capacity and access improvement payment (CAIP) worth a total of £87.6m, has dropped from £1.392 to £1.375 multiplied by the PCNs adjusted population.

CAIP now covers two, not three indicators. A PCN could be paid £1.375, multiplied by the PCN’s adjusted population, if they: make improvements to risk stratification to support continuity of care; and support modern general practice, which represent a third (£29.2m) and two thirds (£58.4m) of this payment respectively.

The population size of 30,000 to 50,000 for the definition of an integrated neighbourhood team has been removed from this year’s contract.

The network contract for April 2024/25 was updated in September 2024 with uplifted payments backdated to April 2024.

Consultant nurses

The PCN DES sets out that consultant nurses in primary care will be working at a level equivalent to band 8c on Agenda for Change (AfC).

To be employed by a primary care network (PCN) under ARRS, they must:

Hold a Master’s degree and be working towards a PhD, Educational Doctorate, or equivalent research qualification
Have extensive experience in advanced clinical leadership, service development, workforce planning, and system-wide innovation
Be registered with the NMC and maintains revalidation in line with NMC requirements

Where a PCN employs or engages one or more consultant nurses in primary care under ARRS, they will have the following key responsibilities:

Provide strategic leadership and innovation in PCN-led service development
Lead on workforce planning and the professional development of nurses across the PCN
Drive improvements in population health outcomes, reducing health inequalities and improving access for underrepresented communities
Lead research, evaluation, and implementation of best practice to transform service delivery
Operate independently at an expert level, leading complex care management and service improvement initiatives
Work across traditional boundaries to integrate care with secondary, community, and social care partners

Health support workers

Where a PCN hires a Health support worker it must ensure that they have:

Completed the Care Certificate or equivalent qualification
Has relevant experience in health promotion, prevention, and supporting long-term condition management;
Works under the supervision of a registered clinician while developing competencies in community-based care
Is working at Support Worker Level Practice as described in the Primary Care and General Practice Nursing Career and Core Capabilities Framework

Where a PCN employs or engages one or more healthcare support workers under ARRS, the PCN must ensure that each worker has the following key responsibilities:

Supports health promotion and prevention activities across the PCN, including smoking cessation, weight management, and lifestyle interventions
Plays a key role in vaccination and immunisation programmes within the PCN
Works within a multi-disciplinary team to support patients with long-term conditions and health inequalities
Provides clinical support to registered nurses and other healthcare professionals within the PCN
Delivers basic clinical care interventions under supervision, supporting continuity of care and patient safety initiatives.

Consultant nurses added to ARRS in new network contract

Consultant nurses

Health support workers

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