Practices have been advised to carefully consider employment law if they are planning redundancies to hire more GPs through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS).
The Government’s contract deal for 2025/26, agreed in principle with the BMA, will remove the ringfence around funding for ARRS GPs, meaning PCNs can use the full funding pot to hire roles as they see fit.
This will likely result in a ‘shift’ in the skill mix, according to NHS England, with PCNs preferring to recruit more GPs via the scheme.
But the BMA advised GPs to ‘take stock first’ and heed employment law before restructuring their teams in light of the contract changes.
In a video to the profession on Friday, GP Committee England chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer said there is now a ‘single ARRS pot’ for all roles – including GPs and nurses – and told PCNs to ‘split it equally’ between practices.
She continued: ‘Spend it on the roles you need. If you decide in the future that you want to restructure your teams on the back of this, then please follow strong HR principles and sound employment law. The BMA can and will help, but just take stock first and don’t rush.’
YORLMC medical secretary Dr Brian McGregor also urged caution when taking advantage of the looser ARRS restrictions, advising GPs to ensure they follow employment law.
In an update to local practices on Monday, he said of the changes: ‘So yes, every practice could have a GP if you free up funds by other staff leaving/redundancies. (Make...
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