RCN accuses ministers of ‘ignoring nurses’ in new GP contract

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has accused government ministers of ‘ignoring nurses’ in the new GP contract.

RCN director for England Patricia Marquis told Nursing in Practice that the government had once again ‘failed to recognise the vital contribution’ of GPNs, while still expecting them to deliver crucial services such as vaccination and public health programmes.

The new 2026/27 contract, details of which were unveiled in a letter from NHS England on Tuesday, set out plans to boost GP recruitment and improve access and patient experience.

Details include a £485m funding uplift, a new practice-level reimbursement scheme to recruit GPs and an extension to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to include experienced GPs.

It also confirmed plans for new incentive payments that will be given to GP practices that don’t hit childhood vaccination targets but that are making ‘progress’ with uptake, as well as expanded access to weight management support and weight loss jabs in GP practices.

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NHS England’s national director for primary care Dr Amanda Doyle said the ‘focus this year is GP capacity’.

The RCN has criticised these plans saying that, while extra funding is ‘welcome’, the contract changes do not recognise the contribution of GPNs.

Ms Marquis said: ‘Extra funding into primary care is welcome and needed, but not for the first time this new contract has failed to recognise the vital contribution of the general practice nursing workforce and will further damage the delivery of services.

‘Ministers continue to ignore the nursing workforce while expecting these vital staff to deliver vaccination and public health programmes.

‘But without investment or incentives, including ringfenced funding to boost their numbers, increase their pay, and give them access to improved terms and conditions, any plans to transform services and deliver care closer to home will struggle to succeed.’

She added: ‘We face the same situation every year, and we must now see ministers commit to discussions to rebuild trust and ensure nursing staff are never left out again.’

The criticisms come following hopes that changes would be made to GPNs terms and conditions as part of a new GP contract due before the end of this parliament in 2028, as hinted by the government last year.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) told Nursing in Practice in July 2025 that the government has ‘committed to a new substantive GP contract’ which ‘could address issues such as general practice nurse terms and conditions’.

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Though the 2026/27 GP contract includes plans for an assumed 2.5% pay raise for GPNs and other staff, it is has been a historical issue that as funding is not ringfenced in the same way that it is for GPs, it means many nurses miss out.

Attempts were made last year by the RCN to secure an official space to negotiate pay and conditions during discussions for the 2026/27 GP contract.

The college wrote to the primary care minister Stephen Kinnock about the need to give the RCN a seat following announcements that the British Medical Association (BMA) would no longer be the sole negotiator of GP contract terms for the next financial year, and that other organisations, including the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), had been given a place at the table.

Responding to the RCN’s concerns today, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘General practice nurses are a vital part of the NHS workforce, and we hugely value the contribution they make to patient care.

‘GP practices are independent contractors and it is for them to determine pay and benefits for their staff.

‘In 2026/27, we are investing £485m into the GP contract, taking total contract investment to over £13.8bn.’

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Nursing in Practice is currently running  a survey of GPNs on all things pay, terms and conditions, and job satisfaction. It should take around 10 minutes to complete – and if you leave your contact details you will be entered into a prize draw of £200 in vouchers of your choice.

Nursing in Practice also continues to run its How Nurses Count campaign – a movement to champion the profession and share best practice and innovation. We are still looking for primary and community care nurses to share with us details about latest projects, clinics and initiatives they are running and leading.