Government sets target for Welsh health boards to increase primary care funding year on year

Health boards in Wales have been told they must deliver an increase in proportion of funding going into primary care by 0.5% each year from 2027 onwards.

The Welsh Government will also undertake a review of how GP services are funded, the cabinet minister for health and care has confirmed.

It comes as the supplementary budget allocated an extra £145m to the NHS in Wales, including £100m to ‘start implementing a plan to reduce waiting lists’, £25m to ‘begin delivery’ of new surgical and diagnostic hubs and £20m to address ‘maintenance backlogs across the NHS estate’ – however the budget did not mention extra funding for general practice specifically.

Cabinet minister for health and care Mabon ap Gwynfor confirmed the review of GP funding in a statement to the Senedd on ‘reducing waiting times and strengthening primary care’, following the supplementary budget.  

He also said that health boards have been told to shift funding from secondary into primary care progressively starting from next year.

He said: ‘I’ve made clear to health boards that change must happen now, and this is where we have replaced the warm words of previous years with decisive action—by immediately establishing a clear and measurable target for health boards to manage their resources in a way that better supports and strengthens care in the community.

‘I’ve set out the challenge to all health boards that they must deliver an increase in proportion of funding going into primary care by 0.5% each year from 2027 onwards, and I expect to see their plans on how they will achieve and maintain this swiftly. 

‘Work is also under way with our partners to scope a review of how GP services are funded. This will determine if the current approach properly reflects workload, population needs, and practice pressures.

‘I’m particularly conscious, as someone who represents a largely rural constituency, that rural communities are particularly disadvantaged by a lack of access to GP services, and I’m determined to tackle this.

‘I will write to NHS chairs providing an update on our areas of priority, and we’ll task the community-by-design transformation programme with making these priorities a practical reality.’

The announcement comes after Welsh LMC leaders called for a ‘comprehensive’ review of the Carr-Hill formula earlier this year. 

And a Parliamentary committee report had also called on the new Welsh Government to formalise workload sharing between primary and secondary care and suggested measures to address the inverse care law.

Cabinet minister for finance Elin Jones said: ‘We are prioritising extra money to reduce NHS waiting times. This is a total investment of £145 million in our health system to speed up treatment and improve outcomes for the people of Wales.

‘There is no doubt that there is a need for immediate progress on reducing the waiting list backlog, but we must also ensure that we keep waiting times down permanently. This is why we are also reforming the structure of the system, to build long-term capacity.’

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said: ‘The additional funding supports the NHS to respond to increasing demand on services, including waiting times and estate maintenance. 

‘The NHS only accounts for about 10-20% of a person’s health, so we strongly welcome the focus on prevention and primary and community care and the Welsh Government having a dedicated Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health.

‘This will further support promoting health, reducing inequalities, and addressing wider determinants of health for long-term wellbeing and economic growth. 

 ‘We know that shifting the focus from treating illness to promoting health will take time, therefore NHS leaders in Wales encourage both the UK Government and Welsh Government to adopt longer-term funding strategies that address the wider determinants of health, including housing, education, and environmental conditions.’

GPs have one week left to sign up for the first-ever Pulse LIVE Cardiff on 2 July, where Pulse will host an on-stage interview with the chair of the BMA’s GP committee in Wales Dr Gareth Oelmann.

The free-to-attend conference will also feature an opening plenary with Charlie Massey, chief executive of the GMC, who will speak to delegates about the current challenges facing the profession.

The full agenda for Pulse LIVE Cardiff is now live and will also cover a range of clinical topics including COPD, palpitations, UTIs, health inequalities and more.

Tickets are free for all practising, GMC-registered GPs and GP trainees. For more information and to sign up for the event, visit the event’s website.