NHS 10-Year Plan Consultation

Make your voice heard for the future of health and care on behalf of the Rebuild General Practice campaign

The NHS 10-Year Plan consultation is now live, and it’s a unique opportunity for GPs to shape the future of healthcare in the UK. Launched by Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Wes Streeting, this consultation is open to all — from individual grassroots GPs to larger organisations. Your insights are invaluable, so we strongly encourage you to participate before the consultation closes on December 2nd.

This is your chance to:

• Share your views on the NHS—what’s working well and what needs urgent attention

• Contribute your experiences and ideas for how health and care could be improved

• Engage in an interactive process that allows you to respond to others' ideas

Key questions in the consultation include:

• What are the best things about the NHS today?

• What are the biggest challenges facing the NHS?

• What challenges have you personally encountered, such as access issues, long wait times, or coordination difficulties?

• Which challenges do you feel are the most critical for the 10-Year Plan to address?

We encourage all GPs to share their perspective—your experience could help shape the next decade of NHS care.

Read the Rebuild General Practice campaign's (GPDF) Consultation response ⬇️

Q1. What does your organisation want to see included in the 10-Year Health Plan and why?

To secure a resilient future for general practice, the 10-Year Health Plan must address the sustainability of the GP workforce, fair funding, and operational autonomy within general practice.

1. Retention of the GP Workforce

The retention of GPs is critical to ensuring effective, accessible, and continuous patient care. To address the workforce crisis, we recommend the introduction of a fully funded, national general practice retention programme. This programme would incentivise GPs and trainees to remain in the profession, targeting a reduction in the GP-to-patient ratio from 1:2300 to a more manageable medium- to long-term target of 1:1000. By prioritising retention, we aim to reduce burnout, stabilise practice teams, and create a sustainable model of patient care.

Additionally, preserving and supporting the GP partnership model is essential for community-rooted care. This model enables GPs to provide continuity and preventive services that promote healthier communities, something that often isn’t feasible within larger or transient healthcare structures. To further support GPs, workload limits should be introduced to ensure safe, sustainable patient care and to protect the wellbeing of both patients and GPs.

A long-term GP contract, aligned with the goals of the 10-Year NHS Plan, is needed to establish a clear foundation for community-based services. Such a contract should emphasise continuity of care and preventive health, both of which are essential for improving health outcomes in the community. Moreover, annual funding must be adjusted in line with inflation and population growth to ensure that resources meet evolving needs, thus prioritising value for money and productivity.

2. Fair Funding for General Practice

A fair distribution of NHS resources is essential to achieve equity and efficiency across the health system. We advocate for an incremental increase in the proportion of NHS funding allocated to general practice by 1% annually, with a goal of reaching 15% of total NHS spending. This commitment would stabilise general practice services, helping to meet the increasing demands placed on general practitioners. Furthermore, redistributing Primary Care Network (PCN) funds to core contracts and establishing a “Family Doctor Charter” by 2025 will reinforce the foundational role of GPs in patient-centred care and improve continuity for patients.

Expanding core funding is also crucial to redressing the £660 million deficit accumulated over the past five years. This funding expansion would restore essential resources, enabling general practices to operate more effectively, invest in their infrastructure, and respond to community-specific needs.

3. Freedom and Autonomy in Practice Management

Autonomy in practice management is essential to enable GPs to respond to the unique health needs of their communities effectively. We propose the removal of ringfencing on funds, granting GP partners the flexibility to allocate resources and make hiring decisions based on their knowledge of local patient demographics. This autonomy would support community-specific health initiatives and allow practices to retain their workforce more effectively by aligning roles and resources to local demands.

Increased control over hiring and resource allocation would strengthen workforce retention. Additionally, allowing current ringfenced funds to cover the hiring of nurses and other vital practice staff would help practices meet immediate needs, improve patient access to care, and create a more adaptable, resilient general practice workforce.

Q2. What does your organisation see as the biggest challenges and enablers to move more care from hospitals to communities?

The shift from hospital-based to community-based care is a key objective but presents substantial challenges. Funding is the general practice; increased resources must support preventive health measures that can help reduce the burden on secondary care. By addressing workforce retention, ensuring fair funding, and granting greater autonomy in practice management as discussed, community-based practices can deliver the continuity and preventive care needed to reduce hospital admissions. Establishing a long-term GP contract would also provide the stability needed to foster community-based care, while immediate redistribution of funding would address current pressures, making this transition more feasible.

Recognising the critical role of continuity of care is essential in the 10-year NHS plan. We advocate for a commitment to strengthening the expert generalist role of GPs, as they take on the increasing complexity and risk associated with shifting care into the community. This approach will ensure that patients benefit from consistent, long-term care that improves health outcomes.

To support this shift, resources must follow the patient, ensuring that general practice receives adequate funding as patient care transitions from hospitals to community settings. This alignment of resources will empower GPs to deliver the comprehensive, patient-centred care that is fundamental to a resilient NHS.

Q3. What does your organisation see as the biggest challenges and enablers to making better use of technology in health and care?

A more tech-enabled healthcare system offers many opportunities to improve patient outcomes and access, but this must be balanced with privacy concerns and inclusivity. One significant challenge is ensuring patient data privacy while making information accessible to those delivering care. Patients must also be informed and comfortable with how their data is used, which requires transparency and clear communication.

In an era where most of our information is stored digitally, it is natural for patients to want more access to their health data. The NHS app already offers some of this data and should continue to do so. However, Government must work with GPs and other health professionals to ensure that this data does not becomes a vehicle for patients to self-diagnose.

Additionally, technology must be inclusive and adaptable. Designing appointment systems that are responsive to a variety of patient needs, such as accessibility options for elderly or differently-abled patients, is essential for ensuring equitable access to care. Technology can enhance healthcare only if it considers and serves the diverse needs of the patient population.