GP contract to include funding for ‘assumed 2.5%’ nurse pay rise

The GP contract will include funding for an assumed 2.5% pay rise for general practice nurses and other staff, it has been announced.

A leaked letter, sent by NHS England to GP practices and seen by Nursing in Practice, sets out details of the 2026/27 GP contract, including a funding uplift of £485m.

It said the uplift would comprise a ‘pay assumption of 2.5%’ that would be revisited in light of recommendations from the independent pay review bodies.

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A 2.5% increase would be in line with recommendations the government gave on general practice and NHS staff pay for 2026/27 to the relevant pay review bodies in October last year.

However, NHS nurses on Agenda for Change have recently been promised a 3.3% pay rise – following recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body that were accepted by the government this month.

Recommendations by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ (DDRB), which makes pay recommendations for GPs and salaried practice staff including general practice nurses (GPNs), have not yet been published.

Recent years have seen serious concerns around a lack of annual pay uplifts for GPNs because funding for their pay and conditions is not ringfenced in the same way that it is for GPs, meaning many nurses miss out.

The government has said previously that funding typically given to support GP pay rises is intended to allow contractors to implement pay rises for other salaried general practice staff.

However last month care minister Stephen Kinnock acknowledged there was no contractual obligation for GPs to pass on the rise to other practice staff.

The letter, signed by national director for primary care and community services Dr Amanda Doyle, said the £485m uplift to the contract represented a 3.6% cash increase – or 1.4% real terms growth – and would support staff pay rises, QOF changes and ‘cost growth pressures’.

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.

More details on the GP contract follow