// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
New contract will make it 'easier' to get GP appointments
The DoH has said it's to give an additional £20m a year for two years for "improvements in patient access and primary care activity"
A new contract with general practitioners (GPs) will make it "easier" for patients to get appointments, the health minister has said.
The Department of Health (DoH) said it will give an additional £40m across two years for "improvements in patient access and primary care activity".
Last year, GP partners in Northern Ireland voted in favour of taking collective action as part of their fight for increased funding for general practice.
Robbie Butler said he welcomes the NI General Practitioners Committee's (NIGPC) "commitment to rebuild a constructive working relationship with the department and to end the current collective action".
A GP contract is a formal agreement between GP partners or practices and the DoH to provide general medical services.
The total in-year value for the 2026/27 General Medical Services Contract agreed between the department and the NIGPC is worth a further £17.384m, including £13.3m of recurrent funding into core GP services, according to the DoH.
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