Could the new contract for GPs help to address chronic underfunding? A boost for rural businesses, and tips for securing your networks
Today’s blog post covers the latest business news, including details of the new contract agreed for GPs, a much needed boost in funding for rural businesses and top tips for ensuring your networks remain secure.
New contract agreed for GPs
A new deal for GPs has been agreed between the government and the British Medical Association (BMA).
Proposed reforms that were accepted by the BMA include an overall funding uplift of £889 million for the 2025/26 GMS contract. This represents a 7.2% boost to the contract, which is higher than the increase to the NHS budget as a whole. However, the BMA’s acceptance of the funding uplift was given on the proviso that the government commits to renegotiating a completely new national contract within this parliament. They are looking for confirmation of this in writing by mid March 2025.
The increase includes:
- Almost £800 million national funding into the ‘Global Sum’ to help cover the rising costs of staff, premises and patient list growth.
- The Primary Care Network rules will be relaxed, allowing individual practices to decide which roles to hire using their additional staff budgets rather than having this decided centrally.
- An increase to routine childhood vaccination fees.
In addition to the £889 million uplift, there will also be an £80 million investment for a new Enhanced Service that compensates GPs for advice and guidance requests when unsure about making a referral to hospital. This funding will allow doctors to liaise with specialist consultants and help to avoid people being added to waiting lists unnecessarily.
The BMA sees the new contract as an important first step for GPs as they aim to address underfunding over the next few years.
Boost for rural businesses: Government announces £38 million investment
The UK government has announced a major funding boost for rural areas, with up to £38 million allocated to support infrastructure, essential services, and business growth in the countryside. The aim is that the funding will help to create jobs and drive economic growth while improving quality of life for rural communities.
Rural England Prosperity Fund given £33 million
A significant portion of this investment, up to £33 million, will be directed to the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). The fund’s goal is to strengthen the rural economy and is designed to improve local infrastructure and essential services while supporting rural businesses to expand and diversify.
What kind of projects will be funded?
Businesses and community organisations in rural areas will be able to apply for funding for projects that help stimulate economic growth and enhance local facilities. Some of the key initiatives that will be eligible for REPF funding include:
- Rural business hubs: Development of shared workspaces and networking spaces to support rural entrepreneurs and small businesses.
- Business diversification: Funding to help rural businesses create new products, facilities, or convert building to expand beyond traditional agriculture.
- Community greenspaces: Creation of community gardens and green spaces to improve wellbeing and local biodiversity.
- Visitor trails and footpaths: Investment in new footpaths and local trails to boost tourism and accessibility.
- Community hub improvements: Funding to upgrade kitchens in community spaces and enhance facilities used by volunteer organisations such as youth charities and carers’ groups.
Additional £5 million to support rural services
In addition to the REPF, a further £5 million has been allocated to support essential services. The key areas of investment this fund will make include:
- Rural community assets fund: Providing capital for the refurbishment and development of community-owned assets such as village halls and community centres.
- Affordable rural housing: Supporting Rural Housing Enablers to identify and bring forward sites for affordable housing.
What happens next?
Funding allocations for local authorities will be published soon. If you’re a business owner or community leader in a rural area, keep an eye on local authority announcements to see how you can benefit from this funding.
Need advice on how this might impact your business? Get in touch, and we’ll help you navigate the opportunities ahead!
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-funding-for-rural-communities-set-out
Farming reforms to boost profitability
The government has announced its plans for new policies that it expects will make farming more profitable.
The new policies include:
- Seasonal Worker visa route to be extended for another 5 years.
- New requirements for government catering contracts that aim for at least 50% of food supplied coming from British producers or those certified to higher environmental standards.
- Funding for technology investment.
- Protecting farmers in future trade deals.
- Setting up a new National Biosecurity Centre that will upgrade the Animal and Plant Health Agency animal health facility at Weybridge and help to improve resilience against animal disease.
Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “The underlying problem is that farmers do not make enough money for the hard work and commitment they put in.” He went on to say that his focus “is on ensuring farming becomes more profitable.”
The announcement is positive news for farmers, and we look forward to seeing whether this translates to an uplift in profitability for our farmers!
Guidance on maintaining secure networks
The National Cyber Security Centre have published new guidance for organisations on network security fundamentals. Using networks has become fundamental to many businesses, ensuring they continue to operate and stay secure.
The guidance splits into the following 8 sections:
- Identifying your assets
- Understanding the threat
- Restricting access
- Designing network architecture
- Protecting data in transit
- Securing network perimeters
- Updating systems
- Monitoring networks
The guidance provides an overview in each area as well as further reading that can help you ensure that your network is as secure as possible.
See: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/network-security-fundamentals