A. Introduction and priorities for primary care in 2025/26

1. This document describes how service development funding (SDF) and other funding relevant to primary care is flowing to systems in 2025/26, to help integrated care board (ICB) teams understand the changes this year and inform their decisions about how they will use the funding.
2. The 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance (the planning guidance) sets out the NHS’s priorities. For primary care, it asks ICBs to improve patient access to and experience of general practice and to improve access to urgent dental care, providing 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments.
3. The planning guidance expects all ICBs to:
   • put action plans in place by June 2025 to improve contract oversight, commissioning and transformation for general practice, and to tackle unwarranted variation
   • continue to support the delivery of the modern general practice (MGP) model and target support to practices based on their ability to provide access and a good overall experience for patients
   • commission additional urgent appointments to deliver their share of the government’s manifesto commitment of 700,000 more appointments to improve access to dental care
4. Additionally, as per the planning guidance ICBs and providers are expected to reduce demand by developing neighbourhood health service models. One of the initial 6 core components of neighbourhood health is supporting general practices to deliver the MGP model, a foundation for moving from a model of reactive to more proactive primary care.
5. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework agreement for 2025/26 demonstrates the government’s commitment to continue supporting community pharmacy to harness its full potential by laying the foundations for an independent prescribing service. NHS England is asking ICBs to continue supporting the Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme to ensure full evaluation informs next steps.

B. Primary care SDF in 2025/26

6. The planning guidance sets out that in 2025/26 NHS England will transfer a higher proportion of funding than ever before directly to local systems and minimise ringfencing, giving local leaders maximum flexibility to plan better and more efficient services. This has necessitated changes to how the primary care SDF is allocated.
7. As per the updated ICB allocations 2025/26 (core services), a large proportion of SDF has transferred into the ICB core allocations. This is shown under the ‘Primary Care Transformation’ (column V) and ‘GPIT Infrastructure and Resilience’ (column W) in the 250224 SDF transfers to ICB core programme allocations schedule (v1.3) (accessed via FutureNHS – login required).
8. SDF within core allocations is not ringfenced and there are no additional performance requirements beyond those set out in the planning guidance. However, ICBs should note both the requirements of the planning guidance and those that apply to ICBs in relation to primary care (see above and section C). These include providing core and mandated IT services to general practices as per the GPIT operating model (a new version of the model first published in 2022 is due shortly), such as:
   • the digital tools required for MGP (section D)
   • continued funding for Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) roles, including GPs
   • providing training to support the development needs of the general practice staff using training hubs (section E)

Table 1: Primary care SDF which has transferred to ICB core allocations in 2025/26

* Primary care transformation included funding that in previous years was separated into different allocations (such as local GP retention fund, training hubs, recruitment and retention funding, and digital first primary care).

9. In 2025/26 all ARRS funding (previously split between primary medical care (PMC) allocations and drawdown from SDF) will be added recurrently to PMC allocations as detailed in Table 2.
10. In 2024/25 some ARRS funding was allocated to ICBs on a drawdown basis in line with claims, and all funding for GPs in the ARRS was allocated on a drawdown basis. In 2025/26 all ARRS funding, including for GPs, will be included in the ICB allocations – there will be no requirement to draw any of this down separately. ICBs should continue to issue this funding in line with the Network Contract DES Contract specification 2025/26 – primary care network (PCN) requirements. The growth in ARRS entitlements between 2024/25 and 2025/26 forms part of the total £889m increase in contract funding.

Table 2: Primary care SDF that has transferred to ICB PMC allocations

11. In 2025/26 the funding for sight testing and dental checks in special educational settings will be added recurrently to the pharmacy, general ophthalmic and dental (POD) allocations as detailed in Table 3.

Table 3: Primary care SDF which will be transferred into ICB POD allocations

12. NHS England’s Service development fund allocations guidance for 2025/26 (access via FutureNHS – login required) advises that it will continue to retain some SDF funding centrally and will issue this in-year as detailed in Table 4.

Table 4: SDF allocations that will be issued in-year in 2025/26

* Note: in addition to the clinical consultations for the 7 common conditions, Pharmacy First now also funds the entirety of blood pressure and contraception services where previously it only funded their expansion (spend above £30 million in 2024/25).
** Additional information on Pharmacy First capping can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website.

13. The Primary care access recovery plan (PCARP) was a 2-year programme and this ended in March 2025. As such ICBs should not expect any funding under this heading in 2025/26.

C. General practice transformation funding

14. ICBs are responsible for supporting the improvement and transformation of general practice within their delegated commissioning responsibilities, including addressing unwarranted variation and management of the GP contract. This aligns with the priorities for primary care set out in the planning guidance.
15. The Commissioning and Transformation Support (CATS) Programme is working with ICBs to align and strengthen the overall approach to the commissioning of general practice, including contractual and improvement work. Working with a group of ICBs, NHS England has co-developed tools and resources to help ICBs discharge their responsibilities and will provide further support across 2025/26.
16. In 2025/26 there is some funding at national level for general practice improvement and transformation support. This funding will be spent as shown in Table 5.

Table 5: Nationally held general practice improvement and transformation support funding in 2025/26

Targeted support to general practices including GPIP PLS

17. As part of ICB responsibilities to general practice, systems should provide their practices with evidence-based support to embed MGP and improve patient experience. NHS England is making £8.5 million available in 2025/26 to supplement ICBs’ local investment in and work with practices. This funding is held nationally and will be available to ICBs for provision of targeted improvement support to general practice through the national General Practice Improvement Programme practice-level support (GPIP PLS).
18. Each ICB will receive an allocation of places for practices on the GPIP PLS to continue the focus on helping practices implement and embed MGP. Details of the allocations and process have been communicated separately, but ICBs should identify practices for the support as soon as possible to enable changes before winter and to support practice readiness for GP contract changes in October 2025.
19. The national contract for GPIP PLS has been varied to also enable ICBs to drawdown PLS using local funding. ICBs are encouraged to do this, in addition to the national support, as part of local plans to ensure that practices can improve as needed – recognising the priority MGP has in the planning guidance for improving patient experience and as a core component for neighbourhood working.

Leadership for transformation and improvement

20. ICBs are expected to encourage a culture of improvement across general practice and wider primary care, and to cultivate and embed the local leadership, capability, expertise and capacity for spreading and sustaining transformation and improvement.
21. A critical component for building this capability within systems is peer support. Over the last year, ICBs have identified and supported primary care transformation peer ambassadors. These ambassadors share expert knowledge and provide support and capacity to help practices deliver improvements and achieve benefits for patients.
22. A nationally funded development programme will be available in 2025/26 to strengthen the capability and skills of peer ambassadors, as a key transformation support resource in the system that aligns to the capabilities identified in the commissioning and transformation support tool designed with ICBs.
23. A total of £450,000 will also be available to ICBs to contribute to backfill and other costs (for example, travel and expenses) specifically for peer ambassadors. This nationally held funding is to supplement ICB’s local support for peer ambassadors to fulfil their role of helping other practices make improvements across the year. Further information will be communicated separately.

D. General practice IT funding

24. General practice IT (GPIT) funding includes:
    • GPIT infrastructure and resilience funding and GPIT revenue embedded in ICB core allocations/baselines
    • funding held centrally for spend on accredited GPIT systems (predominantly core clinical systems)
    • capital funding embedded in overall NHS England capital allocations. Capital funding is communicated separately and is subject to specific processes and governance

25. The £13.360 million GPIT infrastructure and resilience funding is now included in ICB core services allocations as specified in section B.
26. As in previous years, GPIT revenue for 2025/26 is embedded in ICB baselines. ICBs are required by the GPIT operating model (a new version of the model first published in 2022 is due shortly) to deliver core and mandated IT requirements for both practices and ARRS staff working with PCNs. This continues to include the requirement for electronic messaging (SMS or equivalent) for direct patient communication. If funding is available, ICBs should also support the wider digital transformation of primary care.
27. Funding is held centrally for spend on accredited GPIT core clinical and other systems as directed in the GPIT operating model. Existing centrally funded call-offs under the GPIT Futures framework will be funded in the same way in 2025/26 as in 2024/25 (adjusted for Consumer Price Index provisions within the call-offs, as agreed). Details of any new procurement arrangements and any increases to allocations associated with these new arrangements will be published when available.
28. As part of the PCARP for 2024/25, ICBs received non-recurrent funding to support transition cover and reimbursement to support the uptake of highly usable and accessible digital tools in practices. This funding is not separately available in 2025/26. As the PCARP funding stream has stopped, ICBs are expected to fund highly usable and accessible digital tools for general practice from their core allocations and to prioritise as necessary within those allocations to do so (this includes online consultation tools, appointment booking, messaging and demand and capacity tools). This is a requirement of the operational planning process, the GP contract and the GPIT operating model.
29. In the absence of formal procurement routes such as frameworks, ICBs must continue to engage with the NHS England National Commercial and Procurement Hub to support buying activities that follow the established process: Digital pathways tools guidance and next steps for 2024/25 until 2025/26 guidance is available.
30. ICBs are expected to ensure the procured digital tools meet patient and staff needs and align to national standards. They should refer to the guidance (access via FutureNHS – login required) to enhance process changes and deliver benefits in a safer, equitable more sustainable model of general practice and to support that transformation.

E. Training hubs

31. ICBs should continue to support improvements that enable progress against the Fuller Stocktake ambitions, and the move towards neighbourhood and more sustainable ways of working to reduce the burden on general practice staff. ICBs will need to work with training hubs to consider the training and development of practice and PCN teams to meet local population needs and improve staff productivity and retention, and to carry out effective local workforce planning. This will help achieve:
    • improvements in patient access to general practice and patient experience
    • new models and processes to implement MGP (including call handling, care navigation and triage, and IT system training)

32. Systems should engage with practices, PCNs and training hubs to understand the training and development needs and identify where programmes may need to be commissioned to meet them, building on the training hub core offer.
33. The £12 million funding that in previous years was allocated to be spent with training hubs is no longer ringfenced. It is now included in ICB core allocations (as part of the primary care transformation transfer – see Table 1 in section B).

F. Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme funding

34. Pharmacy First funding will be held as SDF and issued in-year as detailed in Table 4 in section B.
35. The Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme was established to enable community pharmacy to support primary care clinical services by prescribing medicines. The programme will continue in 2025/26 to complete the evaluation and inform future commissioning intentions.
36. NHS England is funding ICBs to commission the participating community pharmacies, ensuring there is appropriate programme and clinical support.
37. The funding is based on the number of participating pharmacy sites for which ICBs need to manage delivery in 2025/26. It includes the continuation of programme support funding (which in many cases funds programme teams already in post).

Table 6: Community pharmacy programme support and clinical support funding

38. The exact funding for each ICB will be confirmed shortly in memoranda of understanding. Support funding for the programme will be transferred to ICBs early in 2025/26 so that the programme can continue as detailed above. As in previous years, the Pathfinder costs will be reimbursed in-year based on activity.
39. In 2024/25 funding was made available for the community pharmacy PCN engagement lead role. This was time limited and is not available in 2025/26.

Classification: Official
Publication reference: PRN01965