The Royal College of GPs described the budget increase as “positive news for patients and the wider NHS” and welcomed measures to tackle the “bureaucratic burden”, but warned there was a long way to go.
Chair of the RCGP Professor Camilla Hawthorne said: “While we hope this package announced today will help stabilize general practice and provide some much-needed security for hard-working GPs and our teams, we have a long way to go.”
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, BMA, said GP surgeries across the country were “frenzied with worry” over the impact of the “rich rise” in National Insurance contributions since April.
“We hope today’s news is an important lifeline for our over 6,000 practices, and we are committed to reaching consensus around managing the additional business pressures practices will face in the new financial year,” she said.
She said she hoped the funding announcement “will be seen as a positive starting point for an evolving conversation” and looked forward to further details.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting called on GPs to end their collective action, to work with the government and “get the NHS back on its feet”.
He said: “It’s clear the system is broken, which is why we’re cutting red tape, ditching outdated performance targets and freeing doctors to do their jobs instead.”
“We promised to bring back the family doctor, but we want him to be judged on results – not promises.” We will therefore encourage GPs to ensure that more patients see the same doctor at every appointment.”
The final contract for GP will be announced in the spring.
Meanwhile, pharmacists say they are angry that the government is negotiating a new contract with GPs for next year and has not been given a new one this year.