Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asking what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the General Practice Contract 2026–27 for England on a) patient safety and b) the long-term sustainability of general practice.

The Department and NHS England assessed the potential impacts of the proposed changes to the GP Contract on patient safety and the long-term sustainability of general practices (GPs) for 2026/27 throughout the policy-development process.

In early 2026, we concluded the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation. This year we expanded the consultation to engage with wider stakeholders across GPs and patient voice organisations. These were the General Practitioners Committee England, the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Voices, the Institute of General Practice Management, Healthwatch England, NHS Confederation, now NHS Alliance following its merge with NHS Providers, and the National Association of Primary Care. The feedback we received from stakeholders across the system has been constructive and comprehensive, enabling us to refine proposals and address concerns while developing the final contract package.

Overall, the changes are designed to help increase capacity in GPs, support patient access, shift from treatment to prevention through changes to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and vaccinations, enable practices to prioritise clinically urgent needs, and ensure GPs remain sustainable for the future. The changes make progress on commitments in the 10-Year Health Plan as well as key commitments to bring back the family doctor and end the 8:00am scramble.

The Department and NHS England will continue to monitor the impact of the GP Contract through workforce data, patient access metrics, and patient experience data.