Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) impact assessments and (b) consultations were carried out before the publication of the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

The Department and NHS England assessed the potential impacts of the proposed changes to the GP Contract for 2026/27 throughout the policy-development process, including Equality Impact Assessments, which consider the impact of policy changes against protected characteristics, in line with the public sector equality duty. We are routinely collecting data on workforce, patient access, and service use to inform assessment of impacts.

The Department undertook a programme of consultation and engagement ahead of the publication of the 2026/27 GP Contract Regulations, which concluded in early 2026. The Department expanded the consultation to engage with a wider range of primary care stakeholders, including the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee England, the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Voices, the Institute of General Practice Management, Healthwatch England, the NHS Confederation, now the NHS Alliance following its merger with NHS Providers, and the National Association of Primary Care. This engagement provided in‑depth feedback and ensured that the views of both the profession and patients were reflected in the development of the proposals.