The 2026/27 GP Contract makes clear that requests identified by practices as clinically urgent should be responded to on the same day. This builds on NHS England’s Medium Term Planning Framework, which set an expectation that urgent appointments should be delivered on the same day so that patients with urgent needs are prioritised.

We recognise that practices will need the right capacity and flexibility to deliver this. That is why we are investing an additional £601 million in general practices (GPs) in 2026/27, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to approximately £14 billion. This builds on the £1.1 billion increase in 2025/26, the largest uplift in over a decade. Since October 2024 we have recruited 2,000 more GPs. We now have the highest number of GPs by headcount since 2015. The 2026/27 contract also introduces a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme, backed by £292 million of ringfenced funding, to help practices recruit more GPs or expand sessions.

This will support practices to manage demand, improve access for patients, strengthen GP employment, and continue to improve patient satisfaction.

Same-day appointment levels have remained broadly steady. In May 2026, 44.9% of appointments were booked and attended on the same day, up 0.3% from April 2026 and 0.7% from May 2025. This represents approximately 13 million appointments taking place on the day of booking.

Where a patient presents with a clinically urgent need, it is for the general practitioner to determine the appropriate course of action, and the patient should receive a clinically appropriate response on the same day. Where a request is ‘dealt with’, this does not always mean a same‑day appointment, but that the patient has received an appropriate clinical response. This could include advice, an appointment, including one that delivers continuity of care, or signposting to another suitable service, depending on the patient’s needs.

The Government recognises that continuity of care plays an important role in patient experience and outcomes, particularly for those with ongoing health challenges. As part of the 2026/27 contract, we have made it a core requirement for primary care networks to identify and prioritise cohorts for continuity of care using risk stratification tools as part of their core activities. This will make continuity a core expectation within primary care and support future work to embed more meaningful continuity models in subsequent contract reform.

General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide £14 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services.

In early 2026, we concluded the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation. This year we expanded the consultation to engage with wider stakeholders, and these were the General Practitioners Committee England, the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Voices, the Institute of General Practice Management, Healthwatch England, NHS Confederation, now NHS Alliance following its merge with NHS Providers, and the National Association of Primary Care. The feedback we received from stakeholders across the system has been constructive and comprehensive, enabling us to refine proposals and address concerns while developing the final contract package.

We are investing £601 million in GPs in 2026/27, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to £14 billion. This builds on last year’s £1.1 billion of investment. This uplift represents a 4.5% cash increase, or 2.2% real terms increase, and includes the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration recommended pay increase of 3.5%.

The Government is committed to improving access to general practices (GPs) by increasing capacity and making it easier for patients to contact their surgery. The changes made to online consultation systems in October 2024 are supporting greater parity across booking routes, reducing pressure on busy phone lines, and ensuring patients have a consistent and reliable way to request care.

The Office for National Statistics’ Health Insight Survey for May 2026 shows that 76.5% of patients reported it was easy to contact their GP, up from 60.9% in July 2024, an increase of nearly 16%

To support practices, we are investing an additional £601 million in GPs in 2026/27, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to approximately £14 billion. This builds on the £1.1 billion increase in 2025/26, the largest uplift in over a decade. Since October 2024 we have recruited 2,000 more GPs. We now have the highest number of GPs by headcount since 2015. The 2026/27 contract also introduces a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme, backed by £292 million, to help practices recruit more GPs or expand sessions

Data collected through General Practice Appointment Data provides insight into the volume of online consultation submissions received by practices. In May 2026, practices received 2.1 million more online consultation submissions than in May 2025, a 36.4% year-on-year increase. However, submissions were 7.2% lower than in April 2026, following a larger month-on-month decrease in April of 14.6%, equivalent to 1.5 million fewer submissions.

As a result, GPs have delivered 12.7 million additional appointments to patients compared with the previous year. This data is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/appointments-in-general-practice/may-2026

Any impact on general practice will be considered as part of implementation planning for the targeted prostate cancer screening programme. The programme is designed to focus activity on those at highest risk.

The Department is working with Cancer Research UK and UK Cancer Genetics Group to determine whether interim guidance could be developed with experts to help general practitioners make more informed clinical judgements when an asymptomatic man with a suspected family history asks for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. In addition, work is under way to develop a new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summary to support discussions with men who are not eligible for the programme, but who request a PSA test.

Decisions on funding for implementation, including any implications for primary care, will be considered as part of wider delivery planning.

We recognise the challenges significant housing and population growth can place on primary care infrastructure.

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how the developer contributions system can be strengthened and improved to support the planning and delivery of the required social infrastructure in areas of population growth, alongside how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better used towards local health services and infrastructure.

The NHS Kent and Medway Integrate Care Board is responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes and how the impact can be offset through investment of developer contributions and other sources of centrally allocated capital.

We recognise the challenges significant housing and population growth can place on primary care infrastructure.

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how the developer contributions system can be strengthened and improved to support the planning and delivery of the required social infrastructure in areas of population growth, alongside how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better used towards local health services and infrastructure.

The NHS Kent and Medway Integrate Care Board is responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes and how the impact can be offset through investment of developer contributions and other sources of centrally allocated capital.

Phase 1 of the Carr-Hill review concluded in May 2026. The report and recommendations are currently with the Department for consideration. The review’s findings and recommendations will be published in due course by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and MPs will be updated once the review’s findings are available.

Phase 2 of the review will comprise the technical development, testing, and modelling of alternative approaches. Timelines for the remainder of the Carr-Hill review, including subsequent publications, are being informed by the outputs of Phase 1 and will be confirmed in due course.

Implementation of any new approach to core general practice funding would be subject to ministerial decision and consultation with the General Practice Committee England of the British Medical Association, in the context of available funding and our commitment to substantively reform the General Medical Services Contract within this Parliament.

Phase 1 of the Carr-Hill review concluded in May 2026. The report and recommendations are currently with the Department for consideration. The review’s findings and recommendations will be published in due course by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and MPs will be updated once the review’s findings are available.

Phase 2 of the review will comprise the technical development, testing, and modelling of alternative approaches. Timelines for the remainder of the Carr-Hill review, including subsequent publications, are being informed by the outputs of Phase 1 and will be confirmed in due course.

Implementation of any new approach to core general practice funding would be subject to ministerial decision and consultation with the General Practice Committee England of the British Medical Association, in the context of available funding and our commitment to substantively reform the General Medical Services Contract within this Parliament.