Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) has led to considerable diversification of the general practitioner (GP) workforce and has been key in delivering additional appointments. The ARRS has enabled primary care networks to recruit a diverse range of professionals into primary care. Between March 2019 and September 2024, 37,891 additional primary care professionals have been recruited into general practice. The scheme has allowed patients to be seen by a wider range of professionals and access the care they need whilst freeing up capacity for GPs to focus on the work that only GPs can do.

The ARRS is subject to annual review through the consultation on the GP contract with the General Practitioners Committee (England) of the British Medical Association (BMA). NHS England works closely with the Department to implement any changes identified as part of this process.

Following reports of newly qualified GPs struggling to find roles, £82 million of funding was announced in August 2024 to enable the recruitment of over 1,000 newly qualified GPs under the scheme for the year 2024-2025 under the scheme. My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26.

The Department and NHS England started consultation with the General Practitioners Committee in England (GPC England) of the BMA on proposed changes to the 2025/26 GP contract on 19 December. Changes will be confirmed before April 2025, which will include details of adjustments to the ARRS. The inclusion of practice nurses into the scheme is among the proposed extra flexibilities for 2025/26.