Global sum increases by 5.4% for GP practices in 2026/27

The global sum for GP practices in England has increased by 5.4% to £130.07 per patient, NHS England has confirmed. 

This is an increase of £6.73 from last year’s figure of £123.34 and was revealed in the new GMS statement of financial entitlements (SFE) directions published yesterday (31 March). 

It follows the recommendation by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) of a 3.5% pay uplift for GPs in 2026/27, which the Government accepted last week. 

The new document also confirmed changes to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) laid out in the 2026/27 contract. This includes an increase in the value of a QOF point, from £225.49 to £227.95 (a 1.1% increase). 

It also confirmed the addition of 18 QOF points for obesity-related indicators, which NHS England calculated as being worth £25m. 

The Government announced a £485m uplift in investment in the GP contract in February, representing a 3.6% cash increase, or 1.4% real terms growth. The uplift to core funding also includes absorbing advice and guidance (A&G) requests, which were previously funded through a separate enhanced service. 

The contract also included a £292m ‘practice-level reimbursement scheme’ available for practices to recruit new GPs or increase sessions for GPs already working at the practice ‘to support clinical same-day urgent access’. The money will be ‘repurposed’ directly from PCN Capacity and Access Payments. 

The BMA’s GP committee had called for a much larger increase, proposing an uplift of £50 per patient per year in 2026/27. 

And a new survey of GPs suggests the new contract has caused more than a third of GPs to consider early retirement. 

The survey of 500 GPs by mutual financial services provider Wesleyan found 37% said the contract would make them more likely to retire earlier than planned within the next 12 months. 

This rose to 45% among those aged 45 to 54, and was a view held equally across medics in partner (38%), salaried (36%) and locum (38%) roles. 

Alec Collie, head of medical at Wesleyan, said: ‘GPs feel that this new contract is yet another case of more asks, without the extra resources to deliver. And they’re worried that the 10 Year Plan is only going to deliver more of the same. 

‘Early retirement is absolutely possible, but should be something approached with a solid plan, especially if you’re leaving before your normal pension age, which can range from 55 to 65, depending on which part of the NHS Pension Scheme you’re in.’

The BMA has threated to take collective action from 30 April unless the Government pauses plans for mandated A&G and puts in safeguards relating to same-day access.