Over 1,000 GP surgeries are set to receive a share of £102 million as part of the government’s Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, the first national capital fund for primary care estates since 2020, and part of a series of measures announced to increase support for primary care.
According to the announcement, the funding will support primary care to either enhance the use of existing infrastructure or to create additional capacity. It notes, “from creating new consultation and treatment rooms to making better use of existing space,” it states, “these quick fixes will help patients across the country be seen faster.”
The programme plans to start this summer, running to the 2026 financial year. The move is part of a “comprehensive package” of GP support put forward by the government, which will also look to recruit 1,500 extra GPs and reduce bureaucracy.
Wes Streeting, health and social care secretary, spoke of hopes that the investment and reform made under the government’s Plan for Change, will “transform our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it”. To view the full list of supported sites, please click here.
Wider trend: Primary care modernisation
NHS England has opened a preliminary market engagement notice, inviting suppliers to take part in introducing a market to digital primary care, offering solutions for procurement by ICBs and approved agencies across the UK. The market engagement is said to “explore current market capacity across a range of patient-facing, clinical & administrative capabilities” while also looking at how it can “assist with further development of those capabilities through research & innovation”.
For a recent HTN Now panel discussion, we spoke to experts from across the healthcare sector on the future of general practice core systems. This included exploring potential opportunities and areas of future growth, considering challenges such as integration and interoperability, and outlining what “good” looks like in this space. Our panellists were Bex Cottey, business manager for Conisbrough GPs, Emma Stratful, chief operating officer at OX.DH, Dr Sheikh Mateen Ellahi, GP and practice partner at ELM Tree Surgery and South Stockton Primary Care Network and Dr Shanker Vijayadeva, GP lead, digital transformation for the London region at NHS England.
We were also joined earlier in the year by panellists including Kathryn Salt, assistant director of primary & community care, data and analytics for the Transformation Directorate, NHS England; Dr Shanker Vijayadeva, GP lead, digital transformation for the London region at NHS England; Dr Sheikh Mateen Ellahi, GP and practice partner at ELM Tree Surgery and South Stockton Primary Care Network; and Max Gattlin, digital consultant at X-on Health. The session focused on how general practice, PCNs, and ICBs can utilise data and leverage technology to support operational efficiencies and improvements across primary care.
