‘Unilateral’ GP contract expected to be published today, says BMA

The next GP contract is expected to be published ‘unilaterally’ today, the BMA has said, adding that changes that have been announced so far ‘will not go far enough’.

The union said that the changes already revealed by the Government have yet to be considered and voted on by the BMA’s GP Committee for England (GPC England), who will scrutinise and debate the contract in full on Thursday.

However, GPC chair Dr Katie Bramall said that proposals on funding for childhood vaccinations ‘will not go far enough’ to support those practices serving deprived communities with vaccine‑hesitant populations.

She also said that none of the proposals outlined to date will help shifting care out of hospital as pledged by the Government.

The Government has already announced that the contract will provide ‘improvement incentives’ for GP practices making progress on vaccination rates.

And two new indicators will be added to QOF as part of the contract to ‘track’ the provision of obesity care, including offering ‘evidence-based advice’, referrals to weight management programmes and NHS-approved weight-loss drugs.

Dr Bramall said: ‘Among the many details within England’s 2026/27 GP practice contract, which the Government is set to publish unilaterally today (Tuesday), are proposals on funding for childhood vaccinations.

‘These changes have yet to be considered and voted on by the BMA’s GP Committee for England (GPC England), who will scrutinise and debate the contract in full on Thursday.

‘Whilst it is encouraging that the Government is finally starting to acknowledge our concerns and evidence, the contract change will not go far enough to support those practices serving deprived communities with vaccine‑hesitant populations.

‘Alongside the announced changes to lung cancer screening and weight loss injections, regrettably none of the proposals outlined so far will help deliver the Government’s stated aims of tackling inequalities, shifting care out of hospitals, or prioritising prevention over illness – despite promises to “bring back the family doctor”.

‘The BMA’s GP Committee for England has not had the opportunity to negotiate directly with Government on these changes, instead being part of a group consultation – nevertheless we shall examine all the contract changes when we meet on Thursday and the next steps will be in the hands of the committee.’

In a podcast published by the BMA last week, Dr Bramall also revealed that the GPC will ask grassroots GPs to vote on the 2026/27 contract outcome, following the GPC vote.

She said: ‘Whether or not the Government wants to hear that vote, it will. And I think it will then be released to the profession. And it will then want to take it away throughout March to get it all into the legislature from Parliament so that systems are all ready to go on 1 April.

‘But in the March period, GPC is most likely going to want the profession to have a say as well because it’s really important that as a profession, you also feel agency and you feel that you have autonomy to decide.

‘Now, there might ultimately be nothing we can do to stop a Government from imposing a contract on 1 April.

‘But I think it’s very important that the Government gets to hear from the profession because there’s been a huge amount of change, and I think that a lot of the feedback that’s coming from focus groups and LMCs and grassroots groups across the country is that we feel targeted.’

The BMA’s GP Committee is holding an ’emergency meeting’ on the 2026/37 GP contract later this week, after having been only consulted on the 2026/27 updates, as opposed to the usual negotiation.

GPC England was consulted alongside the RCGP, NAPC, Healthwatch England, National Voices, IGPM and the NHS Confederation.

Read all of our coverage of the 2026/27 contract here.