2026/27 contract: Will mandatory A&G strip GPs of their right to refer?

Senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by Anna Colivicchi, deputy news editor, and Dr Keith Hopcroft, GP and editorial adviser, to analyse and explain the changes introduced by the 2026/27 GP contract.

The trio go through all the major headlines - including new same-day requirements around ‘clinically urgent patients', a shift in funding for a new practice-level recruitment scheme, and mandated collaboration between practices and ICBs.

Anna and Keith discuss the absorption of advice and guidance (A&G) from an enhanced service into the core contract, contemplating how this 'blurs' the line between GP and specialist remit; and how this will work in practice.

The discussion comes as NHS England's national director for primary care Dr Amanda Doyle wrote exclusively for Pulse last week, explaining their rationale for the move.

Keith also provides a handy overview of the changes to QOF, including the addition of two new obesity indicators and the provision of 'improvement incentives' for childhood vaccination rates.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.