Richard Murray, chief executive of The King’s Fund commented on the new contract for general practice
'The contract is a promising early sign that the government and NHS England are making good on the commitments in the NHS long-term plan to shift resources to primary and community care. It is the biggest reform of general practice in more than a decade and could bring significant benefits to patients.
'The new deal is welcome recognition of the pressures facing general practice and signals a fundamental change in the way that GP services will be delivered, with teams of professionals including pharmacists, physiotherapists and paramedics working with GPs and practice nurses to provide care to patients.
'As well as providing additional funding for new staff, the contract requires practices to work together in new networks to share staff and provide a wider range of services to patients. The timetable for implementing these changes looks extremely challenging, and it will be important that general practice and community services are supported to put these plans into practice.'
Our new explainer sets out the main commitments in the NHS long-term plan, with our view of what they might mean, highlighting the opportunities and challenges for the system as it moves to put the plan into practice.