Joint position statement on Government pay uplift announcement for 2024/25

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and British Medical Association General Practitioners Committee England (GPCE) have a shared commitment to supporting our members working in and providing general practice services. A joint statement was issued in October 2023 outlining our shared expectations for general practice following the pay uplift 2023/24.

Since then, both organisations have worked closely to call for fully funded and fairer employment terms and working conditions for nursing staff employed in general practice. Nursing staff are a core and safety critical component in general practice.

The RCN and GPCE welcomed confirmation by the UK Government that it has accepted the recommendation of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) for a backdated 6% funding uplift to the 2024/25 national GP practice contract to pass on to GP partners and salaried GPs for pay increases.  In addition, the Government’s announcement back in August 2024 stated that the 6% pay uplift should also be made to other practice-employed staff, including GP nursing staff.

However, years of underinvestment and the mechanisms for increasing the national funding pot and subsequent distribution to GP practices, via the outdated Carr-Hill formula, mean we still have the same systematic issues that leave many general practice employers without the resources required to meet patient demand and annual staff cost of living pay rises. Collectively, our members respond to increasingly complex health issues as well as increasing costs to operate individual GP practices.

GPCE and the RCN encourages all GP partners to award their nursing staff the 6% pay uplift as announced by the Government. It is important to note that the uplift includes employers on costs such as National Insurance and pension contributions, which the employer must also fund. We recognise decisions on pay awards for practice staff are determined by individual employers, but the RCN and GPCE agree that all nursing staff working in general practice should be provided with a fair pay settlement that rightly recognises their core and essential nursing role in the holistic delivery of general practice services. We also encourage transparency by GP partners on the value of their funding uplift, what is therefore available for GP nursing pay and how decisions are made on staff pay awards.

Both organisations will continue to call for a fairer funding model but until this is secured, all nursing staff must be paid fairly in respect of their knowledge, skills and professional responsibilities. Their delivery of safe and effective nursing care must be enabled through improved and supportive employment terms and working conditions.

To recruit and retain general practice nursing staff there must be contractual parity through protected funding and training programmes. The RCN and GPCE remain committed to finding solutions to achieve this and secure the long-term sustainability of general practice in England.