NHS England has published an updated version of its supplementary guidance supporting the 2026/27 GP Contract, introducing several important changes to the Practice-Level GP Reimbursement Scheme from 1 October 2026. These amendments are intended to provide practices with greater flexibility in how they utilise their funding allocation and support additional GP capacity across general practice. [NHS England…P contract]

What’s Changed?

The October update introduces four key changes to the scheme.

1. Practices Can Now Claim for GP Locum Sessions

The most significant change is the introduction of reimbursement for eligible GP locum sessions delivered between 1 October 2026 and 31 March 2027.

Previously, the scheme focused on:

• Recruitment of new salaried GPs.
• Additional sessions from existing salaried GPs.
• Continuation of certain GP posts previously funded through the PCN Capacity and Access Payment (CAP) or PCN Test Site Programme. [Focus on t…ent Scheme]

The revised arrangements now enable practices to claim reimbursement for additional locum sessions, giving practices greater flexibility where recruitment of a permanent GP has proved challenging.

2. Funding Can Be Transferred Between Practices

NHS England has also introduced the ability for practices to transfer all or part of their funding entitlement to another practice. This can be:

• Within the same PCN.
• Between practices in different PCNs.
• Between any eligible practices, subject to the required transfer process.

This change may be particularly helpful where one practice is unable to fully utilise its allocation while another practice has the capacity to deploy additional GP resource.

3. Clarification on Eligibility of Early GP Recruits

NHS England has confirmed that practices may claim reimbursement for eligible GPs employed between 24 February 2026 and 31 March 2027.

This clarification recognises that some practices recruited GPs immediately following the announcement of the scheme and before its formal commencement on 1 April 2026. Those practices will now be able to claim reimbursement for these appointments.

4. Higher Reimbursement Rate Protected for Some Additional Sessions

An amendment has also been made to address an error that appeared in the original Statement of Financial Entitlements (SFE).

Practices that agreed additional salaried GP sessions between 30 April 2026 and 24 June 2026 can continue to claim reimbursement at the higher rate that was originally published. NHS England has introduced this protection so that practices are not financially disadvantaged where agreements were made based on the initial wording of the SFE.

What Does This Mean for Practices?

For many practices, the new ability to claim for locum sessions will be the most impactful change. It provides a practical alternative for practices experiencing recruitment difficulties, helping them utilise their funding allocation to increase GP clinical capacity before the end of the financial year. [NHS England…P contract]

The introduction of funding transfers also offers greater flexibility across local systems and could support collaborative approaches between practices and PCNs to maximise available funding.

Practices should review their current utilisation of the scheme and consider whether:

• Additional locum sessions could now be funded.
• Existing GP recruitment arrangements are eligible for reimbursement.
• Collaborative transfer arrangements with neighbouring practices may be beneficial.
• Historical additional-session agreements fall within the protected higher-rate period.

Key Dates

Further Information

Detailed guidance is available within the latest NHS England supplementary information supporting the 2026/27 GP Contract, updated on 1 October 2026. Practices should also ensure they are familiar with the associated amendments to the Statement of Financial Entitlements (SFE). [NHS England…P contract]

Worcestershire LMC considers that these changes provide welcome additional flexibility and should help practices make better use of their allocated funding during the remainder of 2026/27, particularly where recruitment challenges have made it difficult to increase GP capacity through permanent appointments alone.