Government spells out commitment to ‘substantive GMS reform’ in DDRB evidence

The Government has spelt out its commitment to ‘substantive reform of the GMS contract’ within this parliament, in its evidence to the independent doctors’ pay review body.

Earlier this year, Pulse revealed that LMCs were concerned that the Government’s promise of a ‘new GP contract’ referred to the two new contracts mentioned in the 10-year plan, rather than to a new wholesale GMS contract which the BMA’s GP committee has been demanding.

The 10-year plan will introduce two new contracts for neighbourhood services which the Government said will be an ‘alternative for GPs’, but grassroots GPs and GP leaders have since expressed concern that the plan could threaten GP partnerships as it did not mention a new GMS contract specifically.

The ‘traditional GP partnership model’ was only mentioned one time in the entire 10-year plan, and the term ‘GMS’ did not appear anywhere in the plan, nor in the Government-commissioned Darzi Review last year.

Now in its evidence to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) for the next financial year, the Government has said that ‘substantive reform of the GMS contract’ will be ‘in addition’ to the two new contracts.

The evidence said: ‘In addition to the two new contracts, we have also committed to working with the GPCE on substantive reform of the GMS contract within the parliament following GPCE’s acceptance of the 2025 to 2026 contract.

‘The Government has committed to working with the GPCE on reform of the GMS contract within this parliamentary cycle.’

It comes as GP leaders are preparing to vote next week on whether to use undated contract resignations as part of ‘collective or industrial action’ due to the Government’s delay in negotiating a new substantive GMS contract, while the BMA is currently in formal dispute with the Government over the 10-year plan.

GPCE chair Dr Katie Bramall wrote earlier this week to the health secretary to ‘re-confirm’ the profession’s expectations ‘for forthcoming negotiations’ for the 2026/27 GMS contract.

She set out demands for the Government to ‘stave off’ GP collective action, including working ‘in good faith’ with GPC England to deliver ‘a new substantive GMS practice contract’ within the lifetime of this parliament.

The Government has also told the DDRB that it is currently allowing for a 2.5% pay rise for GPs for the next financial year.