A properly weighted and adequately resourced funding model for general practices n England is essential if we are to reduce health inequalities and ensure high-quality primary care for all. The announcement of a review of the Carr-Hill Formula is therefore very welcome and long overdue.
The current NHS funding formula for general practice in England has not kept pace with changing population needs and does not sufficiently account for levels of deprivation or the complexity of care required in more disadvantaged communities. We know that general practices in deprived areas face higher levels of multimorbidity, greater social complexity, and significantly greater demand. Yet NHS funding for primary care has not adequately reflected these realities.
It is also essential that any changes to the Carr-Hill Formula are accompanied by an overall increase in funding for NHS general practice in England. Simply redistributing a fixed pot of funding risks creating new pressures in other areas that have funding taken away from them, and further destabilising primary care services that are already stretched. We need to increase overall investment in general practice so that patients in deprived communities receive the care they need without compromising provision elsewhere.