Morning, Monday, 12th January 2026
Online
This conference will examine the future for general practice and primary care in England, in the context of the 10 Year Health Plan and the move towards a Neighbourhood Health Service.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to examine practical considerations for integrating multiple services effectively, supporting and retaining GPs, achieving fair and consistent funding, and improving access to care while reducing system pressures.
Neighbourhood Health Service
Priorities for partnership working and designing services around communities will be discussed - as the 43 first wave sites are chosen to implement new neighbourhood health services in areas with significant health inequalities.
Considering insights from best practice and first wave pilots, sessions will discuss the role of GPs in delivery and the way forward for supporting patients with long-term health conditions in the community. Discussion will also assess strategies for linking with the VCSE sector and shaping services to meet the needs of people in areas of deprivation.
Sessions will assess infrastructure and funding needs for delivering new services, and expectations for collaboration between primary, community, and social care services. There will also be focus on ensuring realistic timelines, workforce resourcing, and implications of current estate and digital funding allocations, as well as the flexibility of estates and interoperability of digital and data systems to support service change.
Further areas for discussion include latest thinking and insights on practical strategies for the provision of care closer to home, providing consistent access to the same clinicians where appropriate, and making GP services easier to engage with and use.
Contracts
The role of neighbourhood provider contracts in providing services across different population sizes will be assessed, including requirements for contracts to strengthen the infrastructure and intervention capacity of general practice.
Following implementation of key parts of the 2025/26 GP Contract, delegates will discuss progress on online consultation requirements and their impact on patient access. The conference will also examine implications of the BMA’s renewed dispute with government and the options for rebuilding trust and developing a sustainable long-term framework for GP funding and accountability, alongside alignment with the 10 Year Health Plan.
Workforce, service improvement & accountability
The agenda includes a focus on next steps for addressing workforce challenges in general practice and building capacity to improve patient access.
We expect discussion to bring out latest thinking and best practice for recruitment and retention strategies. Areas for discussion include wellbeing and flexible working options, mentoring, career guidance, protected learning time, and improving practice infrastructure.
The conference will also consider scope of practice, team integration, and the implications for training, regulation, and patient safety following the Leng Review and implementation of Jess’s Rule. Morale and autonomy within practices will be considered alongside the balance between national standards and local discretion in service delivery.
Progress in utilising community pharmacy to support access for key conditions will also be discussed.
Funding & the Carr-Hill review
Delegates will consider how funding mechanisms such as the Carr-Hill allocation formula and the Quality and Outcomes Framework reflect health needs across communities, and options for fairer support for deprived areas - including outcomes of the ongoing Carr-Hill formula review and options for a single national formulary.
Innovation, digital transformation & AI
Further sessions will assess how digital transformation can support access and coordination through developments such as 24/7 booking, single patient records, and interoperability. There will also be consideration of the way forward for the NHS App expansion in supporting engagement and access for older and vulnerable groups, and discussion of NHS England’s new framework for AI-enabled ambient scribe tools and their implications for productivity, data security, and digital inclusion.
Additional areas for discussion
- place-based delivery: effectiveness of early Neighbourhood Health Service pilots - collaboration models - local accountability - flexibility for serving local needs
- contracts and accountability: online consultation requirements - patient access - safeguards and data liability - GP contract reform - rebuilding trust - sustainable long-term funding frameworks
- funding and equity:
- Carr-Hill formula review - redistribution options for addressing deprivation and equitable resource allocation
- Quality and Outcomes Framework - aligning indicators and incentives with wider population health objectives
- medicines and prescribing: development of a single national formulary - prescribing efficiency - coordination between primary and secondary care
- infrastructure and estates: coordination between primary, community, and social care - transport links - capital investment and premises upgrades for capacity
- digital innovation and AI: assessing the role of AI-enabled note-taking tools in reducing administrative workload - data security - digital inclusion - single patient record and interoperability
- community-based care: addressing long-term conditions in the community - patient involvement in service design - engagement with VCSE organisations
- community pharmacy and prevention: integration with general practice - support for self-care - new care pathways for key conditions
- workforce resourcing: realistic timelines - implications for digital and estate funding - GP underemployment and the ‘GP paradox’ - flexible and sustainable staffing models
- training and regulation: range of clinical responsibilities - implementation of Jess’s Rule and Leng Review outcomes - regulatory alignment with ICB and GMC priorities
- workforce and wellbeing:
- recruitment and retention - morale and autonomy - career development - protected learning time
- 10-Year Workforce Plan and Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme - sustainability of GP partnerships and business models
- WorkWell implementation - linking primary care to employment support - reform of fit note systems to reduce sickness absence and system pressures
- access & engagement: NHS App expansion - accessibility for older and vulnerable groups - engagement incentives and digital literacy
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Lords and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; and National Audit Office.
