How has the GP contract changed?

From 1 October 2025, important updates to the GP Contract for 2025/26 came into effect, designed to improve how patients access and experience primary care services.

The changes to the contract were intended to strengthen digital access, reduce administrative burdens, and support a shift towards more care being delivered in the community. 

So, what changes happened with the new contract?

• GP practices have to keep their online consultations open during their primary opening hours. This is so patients can contact them for admin, medication, and non-urgent appointment requests.

  
  

• Every practice will have to publish a new patient charter on their website. This will outline the standards of patient care that must be met.

  
  

• GPs will have to record safety events that happen in their practice and can also record safety events that happen in other healthcare settings.

  
  

• Registered pharmacy professionals will be able to update patient records

Find out more about the contract through NHS England and The King’s Fund.

At Healthwatch Hampshire, we receive a lot of feedback about access to primary care. Whether it’s difficulty getting through to GP practices, securing timely appointments, or navigating digital access, this topic is consistently the number one reason people contact us. With the new contract now in place, it’s important that we understand whether things are improving for local people.

Please take a few minutes to share your experience and encourage others to do the same. Together, we can build a clearer picture of how the new GP contract is impacting real patients across Hampshire.

Take the survey