Salaried GPs’ funding should come from ‘full reimbursement’ in the GP contract, the chair of the General Practitioners’ Committee (GPC) told doctors and Pulse journalists last week.
Although changes would not come into force until 2028, GPC chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer is looking for a guarantee this year.
Salaried GPs once had their funding ringfenced as part of the 1966 charter known as the Red Book.
After the contract was redrawn in 2004, GPs were instead given a minimum practice income guarantee, and given funding for quality improvement work under the Qualities and Outcomes Framework.
General practice faces a ‘ridiculous situation’, member GPs told NASGP’s chair and CEO at a workshop event earlier this month.
“We’re now in this really ridiculous situation where there aren’t enough GPs, but at the same time we’re not getting anybody employed because of the contracting mechanisms,” one GP told attendees.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “General practice is far more a vocation than it is a job, so the current workforce instability is causing many GPs to question their career choice. This means any uncertainty is going to have consequences far into the future.
“So the call this year for a guarantee to come into effect could have a significant and positive impact on general practice.
“We would also like to call for the new 2025 contract to contain interim funding the guarantees salaried role funding at practices across the UK and ensure that the funding matches the BMA pay ranges and is index-linked.”
