PCN Contract 2025/26: Enhanced Funding and Workforce Flexibility

The Primary Care Network (PCN) Network Contract DES for 2025/26 introduces several significant changes aimed at enhancing flexibility, workforce capacity, and service delivery. The full 125-page contract provides a great deal of detail on the requirements placed upon PCNs and member practices as well as the associated funding.

Funding Overview

The core PCN funding has increased to £2.999 per patient, up from £2.967 in 2024/25, which is a combination of funding for the Network Administration, Clinical Director role and Leadership and Management. This funding includes £2.266 per patient based on registered list size and £0.733 per patient based on adjusted population as of 1 January 2025.

Enhanced Access Payments have risen to £8.427 per patient from £7.975 in 2024/25, based on adjusted population as of 1 January 2025. The Capacity and Access Support Payment (CASP) has slightly decreased to £3.208 per patient from £3.248 in 2024/25, also calculated on the adjusted population as of January 2025.

The Capacity and Access Improvement Payment (CAIP) totals £87.6 million, divided into two domains: £58.4 million to support modern general practice access and £29.2 million to incentivise PCNs to use population health risk stratification tools, including identifying patients who would benefit from continuity of care.

For the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), the total funding is allocated based on each PCN’s weighted population share. While the individual limits per role have increased this year, the maximum overall limit for each PCN has also risen from £22.894 to £26.631 per weighted patient.

Workforce Enhancements

The ARRS funding for GPs, which commenced in October 2024, is being extended for a full year with a proportionate increase in investment. The GP ARRS funding is being amalgamated with the other ARRS funding, creating a single reimbursement pot. There are now no restrictions on the numbers or types of staff that can be recruited, including both GPs and practice nurses.

The salary element of the claimable GP reimbursement will increase from £73,113 to £82,418. Practice nurses are eligible within the ARRS programme, but at recruitment, cannot have worked substantively in the recruiting PCN/member practice(s) for the previous twelve months.

Service Specification Simplification

The previous eight PCN service specifications have been rolled into one overarching specification to improve outcomes by simplifying the service requirements. The new specification focuses on coordinating, organising, and deploying shared resources to support and improve resilience and care delivery at both PCN and practice level; improving health outcomes for patients through effective population health management and reducing health inequalities; targeting resources and efforts in the most effective way to meet patient needs, including delivering proactive care; and collaborating with non-GP providers to provide better care as part of an integrated neighbourhood team.

The Enhanced Access specification remains as a separate specification with the arrangements unchanged in 2024/25.

These changes aim to strengthen primary care by increasing funding, enhancing workforce flexibility, and focusing on preventive care. PCNs and member practices should review these updates to align their operations with financial planning and ensure all required performance markers are hit to maximise revenue.

Ballards LLP specialises in supporting practice managers and GP surgeries with tailored financial and operational solutions designed to ease the burden.

Whether it’s handling bookkeeping, streamlining payroll, resolving pension discrepancies, or providing real-time financial insights, our team of experts is here to help. We provide a full range of services to advise the individual Partners, the GP Partnerships (and the Practice Manger), as well as the larger PCN/Federation/ICB. We also offer website design and digital transformation advice to our clients. We are more than accountants. Get in touch to speak with our specialist medical team about how Ballards LLP can support your practice.

Ballards are very proud of the support and advisory role that they fulfil for the Practice Manager and the GP Partnership as a whole. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you require assistance to perform your difficult role.

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