New GP contract agreement for 2016-17 confirmed

The government has announced a number of changes to the GP contract in England for 2016-17, following discussions with NHS England and the British Medical Association.

Under the terms of the new contract, an investment of 220 million pounds will be made in the sector during next year, part of which will provide a pay uplift of one percent for GPs.

GP practices will be required to record data on the availability of evening and weekend opening times for routine appointments, and to report annually on the number of occasions on which a locum doctor is paid more than an indicative maximum rate.

Additionally, access to the Men ACWY vaccine is to be extended and dementia services are to be improved, while efforts will also be made to ensure that clear data relating to patients' named accountable GPs is made available at practice level.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Today's deal is just the start of significant new investment for general practice, which will help GPs to provide a truly modern, efficient service every day of the week."

The Royal College of GPs welcomed the resolution of contractual talks, but added that the new funding announcement is "nowhere near enough" on its own, calling for further support measures to be announced soon.