The health secretary has written to all GP practices in England thanking them for their ‘tireless efforts’ and reaffirming the government’s commitment to a new GP contract.
In a letter to practices this week, Wes Streeting said the government will work with the British Medical Association’s GP committee (BMA’s GPC) on ‘a new substantive GP contract within this Parliament’. He also said the government ‘remains committed to the partnership model’ in general practice.
He added that this is about ‘retaining and reforming the practice-based contract for general practice (GMS)’ and that ministers will start working with the GPC next month ‘to define the process and scope of the reforms’.
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The letter pointed to recent Office of National Statistics data showing improvement in patient satisfaction as well as the 2025 GP patient survey showing an increase in satisfaction over the last year.
Mr Streeting said: ‘I am writing to thank you for the contribution you are making to improve access to, and experience of, general practice for the public.
‘Encouraging new figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) were published recently, showing a marked improvement in patient satisfaction.
‘The 2025 GP Patient Survey has also shown an increase in satisfaction over the past year, with over three-quarters of patients now reporting a good overall experience with their GP practice.’
Mr Streeting added that the 10-year plan ‘represents a real opportunity’ for general practice to ‘help build a better NHS’ for staff, patients and the public.
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The letter mentioned that the plan will give GPs the opportunity to take on new single neighbourhood contracts, bringing together and leading multi-disciplinary teams, and added that GPs ‘are in the best position to do this’, given their experience managing complexity.
It said: ‘All this is possible through your tireless efforts to deliver the best quality care for your patients.
‘Whilst there is still more to do to, there are clear improvements to be seen in general practice, and I commend you and your teams for the work you do every day to get the NHS back on its feet and make the NHS fit for the future.’
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It comes after our sister title Pulse revealed that GP leaders had raised concerns over a lack ‘any meaningful progress’ from the government to deliver the promise of a new contract, and were considering going back into dispute with the government over its 10-year plan.
A version of this article was first published by our sister title Pulse
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