The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
These regulations amend the 2015 National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) and (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations.
Key changes mandate contractor approval for out-of-area patient registration, mandatory GP Connect functionality for electronic patient record access, links to patient guidance on practice websites, patient safety event recording, updated requirements for practice contact methods, and clarified procedures for removing violent patients and those with unknown addresses.
Changes also simplify processes concerning partnership changes.
These regulations apply to England and Wales and became effective primarily on July 21, 2025, with certain provisions starting on October 1, 2025.
Arguments For
Improved Patient Care: The amendments aim to enhance patient access to services and information, improving overall quality of care. This includes improved access to patient records via GP Connect and clearer guidance for patients.
Streamlined Processes: Updates to regulations regarding patient removal from lists and partnership changes aim for more efficient administrative processes for both NHS providers and patients. This is evidenced by the simplification of certain procedures.
Enhanced Data Security and Patient Safety: The requirement for contractors to utilize GP Connect and record patient safety events is intended to improve data security and facilitate proactive responses for patient safety incidents. This is supported by the need for better data analysis and management.
Legal Compliance: The amendments are made under the powers conferred by sections of the National Health Service Act 2006, providing a solid legal basis for the changes. Evidence lies in direct citation of the relevant sections of this act.
Modernization of Services: The inclusion of digital tools and online processes reflects the drive for a more modern and efficient NHS, aligning with current technological advancements in healthcare. The implementation will require NHS providers to adapt processes to accommodate electronic systems.
Arguments Against
Implementation Challenges: Upgrading computer systems to comply with GP Connect requirements and adopting new data recording processes might prove costly and challenging for some practices. The effect on smaller practices in particular needs attention.
Potential for Increased Administrative Burden: The new regulations may increase administrative workload for contractors, particularly concerning data recording and reporting requirements related to patient safety, particularly for smaller practices.
Unintended Consequences: The changes may lead to unforeseen issues in practice, especially with the new patient registration parameters. A thorough system audit is needed to identify potential risk spots before implementation.
Resistance to Change: Some General Practitioners might resist adopting new technologies and processes, leading to delays in implementation or uneven adoption across the NHS. This would undermine the overall effectiveness of this initiative.
Alternative Approaches: Alternative processes or approaches to address similar issues may exist or be uncovered, potentially creating needless complexity if this act is implemented alongside such competing systems.
- Citation, commencement and extent (1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. (2) These Regulations come into force— (a) subject to sub-paragraph (b) on 21st July 2025; (b) paragraphs 3 and 6 of Schedule 1 and paragraphs 3 and 6 of Schedule 2 come into force on 1st October 2025. (3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.
This section provides the official title and legal citations for the regulations.
It specifies that the regulations come into force on July 21st, 2025, except for specific parts of Schedule 1 and Schedule 2, which will become active on October 1st, 2025.
The regulations' geographic scope is limited to England and Wales.
- Amendment of the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015 The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015 are amended in accordance with Schedule 1.
This section states that the regulations amend the 2015 National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations.
The specific amendments are detailed in Schedule 1.
- Amendment of the National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2015 The National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2015 are amended in accordance with Schedule 2.
This section declares that the regulations also amend the 2015 National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations.
Schedule 2 contains the specific amendments.
Schedule 1 Amendments to the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015 Regulation 2 Out of Area Registration
- In regulation 30(1) (variation of contracts: registered patients from outside practice area), at the end of the paragraph insert “in accordance with paragraph 18 of Schedule 3”.
- In Schedule 3, in paragraph 18 (application for inclusion in a list of patients)— (a) at the beginning of sub-paragraph (1), for “The” substitute “Subject to sub-paragraph (1C), the”; (b) after sub-paragraph (1) insert— (1A) NHS England may, following consultation with the Local Medical Committee (if any) for the area in which the contractor provides services under the contract, determine that in certain circumstances NHS England’s approval is required before a contractor accepts an application for inclusion in its list of patients in respect of a patient who resides outside the contractor’s practice area. (1B) Where NHS England has made a determination in accordance with sub-paragraph (1A) it must set out the circumstances in which its approval is required in a notice to the contractor. (1C) Where NHS England has made a determination in accordance with sub-paragraph (1A), a contractor may only accept an application for inclusion in its list of patients in respect of a person who resides outside the contractor’s practice area in the circumstances set out in a notice given under sub-paragraph (1B) with NHS England’s approval. GP Connect
- After regulation 68 (summary care record) insert— 68A. Enabling access to patient records through GP Connect (1) Where the contractor holds a patient’s record on its computerised clinical systems, the contractor must ensure that its computerised clinical systems are configured to enable— (a) GP Connect Access Record HTML and GP Connect Access Record Structured; and (b) GP Connect Update Record. (2) A contractor must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the functionality referred to in paragraph (1) is operational at all times. (3) In this regulation— “GP Connect” means the national service known as GP Connect provided by NHS England which facilitates interconnectivity between computerised clinical systems; “GP Connect Access Record HTML” means the functionality within GP Connect that allows records to be viewed in Hypertext Markup Language by other users of GP Connect for the purpose of direct care to a patient; “GP Connect Access Record Structured” means the functionality within GP Connect that allows records to be viewed in a structured and coded format that is machine readable by other users of GP Connect for the purpose of direct care to a patient; “GP Connect Update Record” means the functionality within GP Connect that allows consultation summaries to be sent electronically to the contractor by other users of GP Connect for integration into the patient’s record; and “patient’s record” means computerised records kept in relation to a patient in accordance with regulation 67(1)(b). Patient Guidance
- In regulation 73(5A) (requirement to have and maintain an online presence)— (a) at the end of sub-paragraph (a) omit “and”; (b) at the end of sub-paragraph (b) after “website” insert “and”; (c) after sub-paragraph (b) insert— (c) the General Practice Patient Guidance published on the NHS England website. Patient Safety
- After regulation 74I (collection of data concerning use of online consultation tools and video consultations) insert— 74J. Recording and reviewing patient safety events (1) The contractor must register for, and maintain an account with, the LFPSE Service that has administrator rights. (2) In this regulation, “LFPSE Service” refers to the centralised system provided by NHS England to record information and provide data and analysis about events involving patient safety. Contact with the practice
- In Schedule 3, in paragraph 4 (contact with the practice)— (a) for sub-paragraph (1) substitute— (1) The contractor must take steps to ensure that all of the following means of contacting the contractor are available for patients throughout core hours— (a) by attending the contractor’s practice premises; (b) by telephone; and (c) through the practice’s online consultation tool within the meaning given in regulation 71ZD(2). (1A) The contractor must take steps to ensure that a patient who contacts the contractor through— (a) any of the means listed in sub-paragraph (1)(a) to (c); or (b) a relevant electronic communication method within the meaning given in regulation 71ZE(3), is provided with an appropriate response in accordance with the following sub-paragraphs. (b) in sub-paragraph (3)(a), omit “under sub-paragraph (1)”. Directed Enhanced Services
- In Schedule 3, in paragraph 15(1)(b) (duty of co-operation), for “direction 5 of the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions 2019” substitute “the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions”.
- In Schedule 3, in paragraph 44(9A) (sub-contracting of clinical matters), for “direction 4 of the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions 2020” substitute “the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions”.
- In regulation 3(1) (interpretation), in the appropriate place insert— “Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions” means directions relating to provision of enhanced services given to NHS England under section 98A(3) of the Act; Removal from the list of patients who are violent
- In Schedule 3, in paragraph 25 (removal from the list of patients who are violent)— (a) in sub-paragraph (1A)(b) for “another provider” to the end substitute “another provider of primary medical services in response to a request for removal under paragraph (1),”; (b) in sub-paragraph (1B)(a) omit from “set up” to “2020”; (c) after sub-paragraph (2A) insert— (2B) In sub-paragraph (1B) “Violent Patient Scheme” means a scheme set up in accordance with the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions to provide primary medical services to those removed from a contractor’s list of patients under paragraph (1). Removal from the list of patients whose address is unknown
- In Schedule 3, in paragraph 28(a) (removal from the list of patients whose address is unknown), for “six” substitute “three”. Changes to constitution of a partnership
- In Schedule 3, in paragraph 59 (variation provisions specific to a contract with two or more persons practising in partnership)— (1) in sub-paragraph (1)— (a)(i) after “continue with one” insert “or more”; (a)(ii) for the words from “that partner is” to the end substitute “the conditions in paragraph (1A) are satisfied.”; (b) after sub-paragraph (1) insert— (1A) The conditions are— (a) that partner is, or those partners are, named in a notice given under sub-paragraph (2); (b) where one partner is named, that partner is a medical practitioner who satisfies the condition in regulation 5(1)(a); (c) where more than one partner is named— (i) each of those partners is either a medical practitioner or a person who satisfies the conditions specified in section 86(2)(b) of the Act (persons eligible to enter into GMS contracts); and (ii) the new partnership satisfies the conditions imposed by regulations 5 and 6; and (d) the requirements in sub-paragraphs (2) and (3) are met.; (c) for sub-paragraphs (2) and (3) substitute— (2) A contractor must give notice in writing to NHS England of— (a) the intention to change its status from that of a partnership to that of an individual medical practitioner; or (b) the intention to change the composition of the partnership. (3) A notice given under sub-paragraph (2) must— (a) specify the date on which the contractor would like to change its status or composition, which must be at least 28 days after the date on which the contractor gives notice to NHS England under sub-paragraph (2); (b) specify— (i) where notice is given under paragraph (2)(a) the name of the medical practitioner with whom the contract is to continue; (ii) where notice is given under paragraph (2)(b) the name and contact details of the partners with whom the contract is to continue; and (c) be signed by each partner in the partnership.; (d) In sub-paragraph (11), at the end insert “or the change in composition of the partnership”. (2) In Schedule 3, in paragraph 67(3)(t) (other grounds for termination by NHS England)— (a) at the end of sub-paragraph (i) omit “or”; (b) after sub-paragraph (ii) insert— “, or (iii) the partnership has dissolved in circumstances where sub-paragraph (i) and paragraph 59(4) do not apply and none of the former members of the partnership has been named in a notice given under paragraph 59(2) to continue the contract in accordance with paragraph 59(1);”.
Schedule 1 details specific amendments to the 2015 General Medical Services Contracts Regulations.
These include updates on regulations about patient registration from outside practice areas and changes to various aspects of Schedule 3, including GP Connect integration, practice contact methods, requirements for an online presence, procedures for patient removal from the list due to violence or unknown address as well as clarifications on the process of changes in partnership structure.
It also addresses directed enhanced services and mandates an online presence with links to General Practice Patient Guidance.
Schedule 2 Amendments to the National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2015 Regulation 3 Out of Area Registration
- In regulation 25(1) (variation of agreements: registered patients from outside practice area), at the end of the paragraph insert “in accordance with paragraph 17 of Schedule 2”.
- In Schedule 2, in paragraph 17 (application for inclusion in a list of patients)— (a) at the beginning of sub-paragraph (1), for “The” substitute “Subject to sub-paragraph (1C), the”; (b) after sub-paragraph (1) insert— (1A) NHS England may, following consultation with the Local Medical Committee (if any) for the area in which the contractor provides services under the contract, determine that in certain circumstances NHS England’s approval is required before a contractor accepts an application for inclusion in its list of patients in respect of a patient who resides outside the contractor’s practice area. (1B) Where NHS England has made a determination in accordance with sub-paragraph (1A) it must set out the circumstances in which its approval is required in a notice to the contractor. (1C) Where NHS England has made a determination in accordance with sub-paragraph (1A), a contractor may only accept an application for inclusion in its list of patients in respect of a person who resides outside the contractor’s practice area in the circumstances set out in a notice given under sub-paragraph (1B) with NHS England’s approval. GP Connect
- After regulation 61 (summary care record) insert—
61A. Enabling access to patient records through GP Connect
(1) Where the contractor holds a patient’s record on its computerised clinical systems, the contractor must ensure that its computerised clinical systems are configured to enable—
(a) GP Connect Access Record HTML and GP Connect Access Record Structured; and
(b) GP Connect Update Record
(2) A contractor must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the functionality referred to in paragraph (1) is operational at all times. (3) In this regulation— “GP Connect” means the national service known as GP Connect provided by NHS England which facilitates interconnectivity between computerised clinical systems; “GP Connect Access Record HTML” means the functionality within GP Connect that allows records to be viewed in Hypertext Markup Language by other users of GP Connect for the purpose of direct care to a patient; “GP Connect Access Record Structured” means the functionality within GP Connect that allows records to be viewed in a structured and coded format that is machine readable by other users of GP Connect for the purpose of direct care to a patient; “GP Connect Update Record” means the functionality within GP Connect that allows consultation summaries to be sent electronically to the contractor by other users of GP Connect for integration into the patient’s record; and “patient’s record” means computerised records kept in relation to a patient in accordance with regulation 60(2)(b). Patient Guidance - In regulation 66(5A) (requirement to have and maintain an online presence)— (a) at the end of sub-paragraph (a) omit “and”; (b) at the end of sub-paragraph (b) after “website” insert “and”; (c) after sub-paragraph (b) insert— (c) the General Practice Patient Guidance published on the NHS England website. Patient Safety
- After regulation 67I (collection of data concerning use of online consultation tools and video consultations) insert—
67J. Recording and reviewing patient safety events
(1) The contractor must register for, and maintain an account with, the LFPSE Service that has administrator rights.
(2) In this regulation, “LFPSE Service” refers to the centralised system provided by NHS England to record information and provide data and analysis about events involving patient safety. Contact with the practice - In Schedule 2, in paragraph 5 (contact with the practice)— (a) for sub-paragraph (1) substitute— (1) The contractor must take steps to ensure that all of the following means of contacting the practice are available for patients throughout core hours— (a) by attending the contractor’s practice premises; (b) by telephone; and (c) through the practice’s online consultation tool within the meaning given in regulation 64ZD(2). (1A) The contractor must take steps to ensure that a patient who contacts the contractor through— (a) any of the means listed in sub-paragraph (1)(a) to (c); or (b) a relevant electronic communication method within the meaning given in regulation 64ZE(3), is provided with an appropriate response in accordance with the following sub-paragraphs. (b) in sub-paragraph (3)(a), omit “under sub-paragraph (1)”. Directed Enhanced Services
- In Schedule 2, in paragraph 10(1)(a) (duty of co-operation), for “direction 5 of the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions 2019” substitute “the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions”.
- In Schedule 2, in paragraph 43(4A) (sub-contracting of clinical matters), for “direction 4 of the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions 2020” substitute “the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions”.
- In regulation 3 (interpretation), in the appropriate place insert— “Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions” means directions relating to provision of enhanced services given to NHS England under section 98A(3) of the Act; Removal from the list of patients who are violent
- In Schedule 2, in paragraph 24 (removal from the list of patients who are violent)— (a) in sub-paragraph (1A)(b) for “another provider” to the end substitute “another provider of primary medical services in response to a request for removal under paragraph (1),”; (b) in sub-paragraph (1B)(a) omit from “set up” to “2020”; (c) after sub-paragraph (2A) insert— (2B) In sub-paragraph (1B) “Violent Patient Scheme” means a scheme set up in accordance with the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) Directions to provide primary medical services to those removed from a contractor’s list of patients under paragraph (1). Removal from the list of patients whose address is unknown
- In Schedule 2, in paragraph 27(a) (removal from the list of patients whose address is unknown), for “six” substitute “three”.
Schedule 2 mirrors the structure of Schedule 1, providing similar amendments but for the 2015 Personal Medical Services Agreements Regulations.
The amendments cover similar areas as Schedule 1, updating out-of-area patient registration, integrating GP Connect, including patient guidance, updating patient safety reporting, altering practice contact methods, and clarifying procedures for removing patients from the list due to violence or unknown addresses.
Explanatory Note (This note is not part of the Regulations) Regulation 2 and Schedule 1 to these Regulations amend the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/1862) (“the GMS Contracts Regulations”). Regulation 3 and Schedule 2 to these Regulations amend the National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/1879) (“the PMS Agreements Regulations”). The GMS Contracts Regulations and the PMS Agreements Regulations respectively make provision in respect of services provided under a general medical services contract and a personal medical services agreement made pursuant to Part 4 of the National Health Service Act 2006 (c. 41). The Regulations apply to England only. The GMS Contracts Regulations and the PMS Agreements Regulations are amended so as to— (a) require contractors to seek approval from NHS England before accepting patients residing outside their practice area where NHS England has set out circumstances where such approval is required and those circumstances apply; (b) require contractors to enable functionality in their computerised systems that allows access to and updating of patient records through GP Connect; (c) require contractors to provide a link to the General Practice Patient Guidance on their websites; (d) require contractors to register for and maintain an account with the learn from patient safety events service; (e) ensure that patients are able to contact the contractor through the online consultation tool as well as in person at the practice premises and by telephone during core hours; (f) clarify the circumstances in which a contractor can remove a patient from its list of patients where it becomes aware that a patient has been previously removed from the list of patients of another provider due to an act or threat of violence; (g) reduce the notice period that NHS England must give to the contractor before removal of a patient from its list of patients where the address of the patient is no longer known; (h) update references to directions relating to the provision of enhanced services. The GMS Contracts Regulations are also amended to clarify, in relation to contracts held by individuals in partnership, the requirements in relation to changes to the composition of the partnership.
The explanatory note summarizes the key changes introduced by the regulations.
It clarifies that the amendments affect both the General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements regulations.
The note lists the main impacts of the changes, such as requirements for NHS England approval for out-of-area patients, mandatory use of the GP Connect system, website links to patient guidance, mandatory reporting of patient safety events, updated contact requirements, clarifications on patient removal processes, and changes to the notice period for unknown addresses.
For individuals in partnership, it also clarifies requirements related to partnership compositional changes.