Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services, said: “This is the first time in four years that the GP contract has been accepted as proposed and I hope it will be seen as positive for practices, GP teams and patients when introduced in April.
Announcing the agreement, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said that “rebuilding the broken NHS” began with GPs and that patients should be able to book appointments easily, in the way they want and with their regular doctor if they wish.
“It shows how NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have listened and delivered on the priorities that matter most to patients and general practice teams, including a significant increase in funding and extra flexibility in the additional roles reimbursement scheme to recruit more staff including GPs.”.
The deal is the first time in four years the Government and GP representatives have agreed reforms to GP contracts, and marked a “reset of relations” after recent strikes, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
GPs in England have accepted new contract amendments which would “bring back the family doctor” and end the “8am scramble” for appointments, the Government has said.
