Changes to the GP Contract 2023/2024

The changes outlined by NHS England will be implemented through the primary care recovery plan.

The key points are as follows...

Access:

• It will be mandated that patients on first contact with a GP with receive an offer of assessment or be signposted to an appropriate service. Practices will no longer be able to request that the public call back at a later time.

• By the end of 2025, telephone analogue systems will be removed and replaced with cloud-based platforms. They propose that this change will provide a better service for practices and patients. As it will include call queueing or call back to provide a better patient experience when the lines are busy.

Funding: Changes to Impact and Investment Fund

• £246m worth of previous funding has been freed up and allocated to focus on improving patients experience of contacting their practice, being assessed and/or seen within the appropriate timeframe.

These changes to the GP contract to support easier access to services are welcome.

Though it will be key to monitor and review these changes in practice to evaluate the real impact on patient experience.

Also, in order for this to be implemented we hope that GPs will be provided the workforce needed to enact these changes alongside this considerable investment.