Guidance – Network Contract DES 2025/26: Requirements and Entitlements
The ‘Network Contract DES 25/26 requirements and entitlements’ was published on the 27 March 2025 and the updated document includes:
- The continuation of funding for ARRS GPs which equates to £186 million for the whole year, and the increase in the maximum reimbursable amount for this role to £105,882 (£82,418 excluding on-costs)
- Combining the GP ARRS funding with the main ARRS pot, resulting in a total ARRS budget of almost £1.7 billion for 2025/26.
- Uplift details of the maximum reimbursable amounts for existing ARRS.
- The introduction of new ARRS roles as follows:
- Healthcare Support Workers (AfC Band 3 equivalent)
- New to General Practice Nurse (AfC Band 5 equivalent)
- Experienced General Practice Nurse (AfC Band 6 equivalent)
- Registered Nurse (Consultant level) (AfC Band 8c equivalent)
(It is worth mentioning that in the case of new to general practice nurses, experienced general practice nurses, consultant nurses primary care and health support workers, reimbursement is not to be used for roles employed by the PCN or member practices within the previous 12 months, unless the nurse is being recruited to a specialist or more senior nursing role.)
Capacity & Access Payment: there are two elements to this, the first is the National Capacity and Access Support Payment (CASP). There are no changes this year, with a continued focus to improve access for patients and is paid unconditionally to PCNS. The second element and which has been updated for this year is the local Capacity & Access Improvement Payment (CAIP). This will be split into 2 parts and the following provides the detail around this.
1. Risk stratification to support continuity of care –
Using the intelligence provided by digital risk stratification tools, PCNs should risk stratify their patients in accordance with need, including to identify those that would benefit most from continuity of care (with a named GP, where appropriate)
2. Supporting modern general practice access –
- Digital telephony data is routinely used to support capacity/demand service planning and quality improvement discussions
- Consistent approach to care navigation and triage so there is parity between online, face to face and telephone access, including collection of structured information for walk-in and telephone requests.
- The approach should include asking patients their preference to wait for a preferred clinician if appropriate, for continuity.
- Online consultation (OC) is available for patients to make administrative and clinical requests at least during core hours.
You will note a component of the supporting modern general practice priority domain is having online consultations available to patients during at least core hours. There will be a contractual requirement to have access to online consultations throughout core hours from the 1st of October, with further detail awaited on this. However as mentioned there is also a requirement in the Capacity & Access Improvement Payment around this. The advice from the BMA to qualify for payment remains the same as last year, and that means PCNs have the remainder of the 25/26 financial year to meet the requirement to receive full payment. PCNs will need to consider when the assurance of achievement to the commissioner is provided which needs to be ahead of the deadline of the 31st of March 2026.
Impact & Investment Fund (IIF) is unchanged, i.e.:
– Tackling health inequalities – the percentage of patients on the Learning Disability register (as defined in the SFE) aged 14 or over who have a recording of ethnicity, and the completion of an annual health check and health action plan.
– Cancer – the proportion of patients who have had a lower gastrointestinal urgent suspected cancer referral in the reporting year where at least one urgent suspected cancer referral was accompanied by a faecal immunochemical test result, with the result recorded in the 21 days leading up to the referral.
Other uplifts to the financial entitlements under the DES
(You can download the updated specification here – all the amendments have been highlighted in yellow. The financial changes are summarised in the table below but it’s also worth noting the additional detail given in the DES update)
