Sessional GPs could receive more work from 1 April via a new practice-level reimbursement scheme worth £292 million, according to the 2026/27 GP contract.
The practice-level GP reimbursement scheme will use £292 million of repurposed funding from the current PCN level Capacity and Access Payment.
Practices can either ‘recruit additional GPs or fund additional sessions from existing GPs to support clinical same day urgent access in general practice’, authors write.
Practices and PCNs will lose Capacity and Access Payments (CAP) from a direct enhanced scheme (the Network Contract DES) as part of this change.
Following years of a workforce crisis amongst sessional GPs, this change from 1 April has been seen by experts as an opportunity to resource underemployed sessional GPs across England.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “This £292 million ringfenced funding is a vital opportunity to tackle the underemployment crisis many sessional GPs face, while giving practices the support they need to manage same-day urgent access
“My advice to any GP locum experiencing quiet periods right now is to be proactive. Do not wait for the phone to ring. Instead, approach your local practices directly to discuss how your sessions can help them deploy this imminent funding. And before reaching out, take a moment to update your LocumDeck profile with all your compliance documents and an up-to-date CV.
“By presenting ourselves as a ready and integrated workforce, we can turn this into a genuine win-win for everyone.”