A helpful summary of the contract changes can be seen here, which should be viewed in addition to the official letter published by NHS England.
The most pressing of the changes in the imposed 2024/25 GP contract is the requirement that practices offer/accept registrations via the online form hosted within the NHS App and NHS website (see Annex 1, item 18 of the letter). Paper registrations are still an option alongside the online offer, with the PRF1 form replacing the GMS1. The NHS Digital page explaining the online registration system to practices is here.
If a practice has not signed-up to online registration by 31 October they will potentially face remedial action by commissioners for failing to comply with their contract.
Other notable points in the 2024/25 contract are listed below (the number in brackets indicates which paragraph of NHS England Annex details each requirement):
- Digital practice area map to be created and for this to be available to commissioners as part of annual review (23).
- Practices to comply with Armed Forces Covenant Principles (25).
- New standards around vaccinations and immunisations (21).
- National Workforce Collection – information must be submitted to NHS England as and when it asks for it during the financial year (22).