Under the new GP contract, it will be a requirement for any patient with urgent needs to have access to a same day appointment
Patients with urgent needs must be able to get a same-day appointment under the new rules
New measures are set to be introduced at GP surgeries in the UK from April this year.
The government has outlined the changes which will come with the introduction of a new GP contract. The Department of Health said that patients across the country will see better access to appointments and general practice services under the new contract, which is backed by a £485m uplift in government investment.
Under the new contract, it will be a requirement for any patient with urgent needs to have access to a same day GP appointment, the government announced. The new GP contract for 2026 to 2027 will come into force from April 1.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: “Through this government’s investment and modernisation, we’re fixing the front door to the NHS. We’re giving practices the flexibility to hire more GPs, and backing them with extra funding to do so. As a result, many more patients with urgent needs will be able to get an appointment the day they contact their practice.
“Taken together, our changes will help patients stay healthy and out of hospital, whether it’s jabs for children, screening for lung cancer, weight loss support, or continuity of care – we’re backing our GPs to build a healthier nation.”
The changes build on this year’s GP contract, which made it mandatory for practices to offer an online booking service for appointments to help end the 8am scramble.
The Labour government said that since coming into office, it has also supported GPs by cutting red tape so doctors spend more time caring for patients, recruited 2,000 extra GPs and invested over £100m into vital upgrades to surgeries.
Patient satisfaction is on the rise, according to the Department of Health. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from December 2025 shows that 75.1 per cent of people reported that contacting their GP was “easy”, up from 61 per cent in July 2024.
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “While GP teams are already delivering over 1.4 million appointments every working day, ringfencing £292 million will allow practices to recruit more GPs and strengthen the care they provide. We’ve also upgraded thousands of practice phone systems and introduced online request forms, making it easier for people to contact their surgery in a way that suits them, while keeping phone lines free for those who need urgent care.”
The new GP contract for 2026/27 sets out the terms, conditions and funding for providing general practice. The government consulted with the BMA General Practice Committee England (BMA GPCE) as well as wider stakeholders including the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Voices, Institute of General Practice Management, Healthwatch England, NHS Confederation and National Association of Primary Care.
Other key measures from the contract include incentives for GP immunisations to ensure more babies are protected from deadly viruses and better data sharing with the Lung Cancer Screening Programme. In addition, patients with severe obesity will be supported by their GP to access weight loss support programmes and jabs.