Written Statement: General Medical Services Contract Reform for 2025-26

I am pleased to announce the successful conclusion of negotiations for the 2025-26 General Medical Services (GMS) contract. This agreement reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting general practice in Wales and is the result of constructive partnership working between the Welsh Government, NHS Wales and GPC Wales.

This year’s agreement delivers a total investment of £41.9m into general practice, comprising £37.9m of new investment and the continuation of £4m additional capacity funding. The package includes:

•    A 4% pay uplift for GP partners and practice staff, in line with DDRB recommendations, ensuring fair and consistent recognition of the vital contribution made by the whole practice team. This total recurring investment is equivalent to £15.9m.
•    1.77% uplift for practice expenses, equivalent to a recurring £2m, supporting practices to manage rising costs.
•    A recurring £20m to support immediate stabilisation and deliver this year’s agreed mandate in preparation for the next phase of reform.
•    Continuation of £4m additional capacity funding for 2025-26.

Looking ahead, this multi-year agreement guarantees a 5.8% recurrent funding uplift for the GMS contract from 2026-27, providing financial certainty for practices to invest in workforce expansion, service redesign, and administrative support. This underpins the community-by-design transformation programme, which is being led by the Chief Medical Officer for Wales to deliver and develop more care and services in local communities closer to people’s homes and will ensure GPs play a central role in developing integrated care models. For example, initial priorities include moving phlebotomy, spirometry, and minor procedures such as skin surgery into community settings, making care more accessible and locally delivered

The community-by-design transformation work is a central feature of this year’s agreement. The funding for next year will enable GPs to actively participate in this innovative programme, which aims to reshape primary care services around the needs of local communities. Through collaborative working, we will develop new service models that enhance access, improve outcomes, and ensure care is delivered locally where it is needed most.

We have agreed to increase the partnership premium, recognising the vital role GP partners play in leading resilient practices. This will directly support the retention of experienced clinicians, making partnership more attractive and sustainable. By investing in our leaders, it will help to secure continuity of care and strengthen the future of general practice for communities across Wales.

We are taking further steps to strengthen the access standards, which will help people secure appointments when they need them. A dedicated working group will thoroughly review and enhance these standards, with improvements to take effect from April 2026. This collaborative approach demonstrates a clear commitment to making GP services more robust and responsive for all communities.

Digital transformation remains at the heart of our ambitions to modernise patient care. From early 2026, people will be able to view additional elements of their health record via the NHS Wales App. In partnership with NHS Wales and GPC Wales, further enhancements to appointment booking and test result services are planned, making it easier for everyone to manage their health and interact with their practice digitally.

Practices will maintain and validate registers for high-risk frailty and complex comorbidity cohorts, as well as inclusion health registers. This ensures that proactive and equitable care is prioritised for those most in need, reinforcing our commitment to fairness and inclusivity within primary care.

To further enhance patient safety and outcomes, additional questions will be introduced to the Clinical Governance Practice Self-Assessment Toolkit. This will improve understanding and consistency in structured medication reviews, supporting practices in delivering high standards of clinical care.

For diabetes care, we are enabling the automatic sharing of aggregate practice-level data on completion of the eight essential diabetes care processes. This will support equitable access to high-quality diabetes care, ensuring that best practice is shared and implemented across Wales.

A series of working groups will be established to drive forward ongoing and future improvements including access standards, branch and secondary site services provision, diabetes prevention, protected learning time, the allocation formula for GMS funding, and the arrangements for dispensing doctors. Of particular significance is the review of the global sum allocation formula, which will be the first comprehensive assessment in more than 20 years. This review presents a major opportunity to ensure funding is distributed fairly and reflects the current needs of practices and communities across Wales. The inclusion of a review of dispensing doctor arrangements further demonstrates the commitment to ensuring all aspects of general practice are responsive to local needs.

These groups will ensure that all reforms are evidence-based, responsive to local circumstances, and developed in partnership with GPs.

I would like to thank all colleagues in GPC Wales and NHS Wales for their ongoing commitment to a programme of contract reform that aims to strengthen the sustainability of general practice and ensure GP services remain available and accessible to everyone in Wales.