Neighbourhood contracts: what do the latest plans mean for GPs?

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By Emma Wilkinson

As NHS England launches a consultation on new neighbourhood contracts, the British Medical Association has told GPs not to feel under pressure to sign up to local plans. Doctors.net.uk looks at the proposals and what they mean for GPs.

What is the neighbourhood model?

Government plans for neighbourhood working were first outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan for England published last summer.

It proposed a neighbourhood health service to bring more care into the community, enable the NHS to do more prevention and help provide simpler, more joined up care.

This would be backed by a funding shift from acute hospital trusts to greater investment in out-of-hospital care over the next three to four years, the plan noted.

Where integrated neighbourhood teams have been trialled in England, “they have significantly reduced hospital use”, the government said.

For this change to happen, the NHS would introduce two new contracts, with roll out to start in 2026 to “encourage and allow” GPs to work over larger geographies and “lead” new neighbourhood providers.