Welsh GPs will receive an additional £25m as part of the new 2019/20 contract, the Welsh Government has revealed.
The Government announced today a new £536.6m contract for Welsh GPs, which will see funding per patient head increase by £3.25 – from £86.75 to £90 – following successful negotiations with the BMA.
The BMA said the agreements will ‘provide reassurance for GPs and ensure that patients continue to receive services in the community and as close to home as possible’.
The contract also includes funding to cover the rising costs of pensions, from 14.9% to 20.9% from 1 April, which led the BMA to warn of the ‘extremely damaging’ impact on practices.
BMA Wales’s GPs Committee chair Dr Charlotte Jones said: ‘I am pleased that GPC Wales and the Welsh Government have been able to reach an agreement for hardworking GPs across Wales.
‘The introduction of the partnership premium, an increase in the global sum and the additional funding to address the rising costs of employer pension contributions, are a clear commitment by the Welsh Government that they intend to secure the independent contractor model for GPs into the future.
She added: ‘The move to addressing last person standing issues will also ensure that those who have dedicated their careers to improving the health and wellbeing of the communities of Wales do not face the risk of bankruptcy.
‘This contract will provide reassurance for GPs and ensure that patients continue to receive services in the community and as close to home as possible.’
Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said: ‘Over the last 18 months we have continued with our ambitious programme of reform to the GMS contract. I acknowledge that negotiations have taken longer than preferred, but this reinforces our commitment to fully engage with the Health Service and General Practitioners Committee on contract reform – with Wales being the only nation in the UK to fully engage the Health Service in this way.
‘This agreement provides an additional boost to GMS services and once again represents a better deal than that being offered in England. The new contract delivers the much needed investment into services to improve sustainability and to meet the aims set out in a Healthier Wales, including an increased focus on cluster working and seamless provision of services.’
