The Investment and Impact Fund (IIF) is an incentive scheme focussed on supporting PCNs to deliver high quality care to their population, and the delivery of the priority objectives articulated in the NHS Long Term Plan and in Investment and Evolution; a five-year GP contract framework.

The scheme contains indicators that focus on where PCNs can contribute significantly towards the ‘triple aim’:

• improving health and saving lives (e.g. through improvements in medicines safety)
• improving the quality of care for people with multiple morbidities (e.g. through increasing referrals to social prescribing services)
• helping to make the NHS more sustainable.

The IIF in 2020/21 will run initially for six months from 1 October until 31 March 2021 and will resource PCNs to play a leading role in the ongoing response to COVID-19, focusing on preventative activity for cohorts at risk of poor health outcomes, and in doing so tackling health inequalities more directly and proactively. The Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES) Contract Specification 2020/21 (Annex D) was updated in September 2020 to reflect this.

The IIF will be worth £24.25 million in 2020/21, rising to at least £150 million in 2021/22, £225 million in 2022/23 and £300 million in 2023/24.

IIF indicators for 2021/22 and beyond will be confirmed in the 2021/22 Network Contract DES.