Basic practice funding will increase in October to reflect the phasing out of seniority pay, the General Pharmaceutical College (GPC) has revealed.
The government announced earlier in the week that the global sum will increase by 3% for 2015/16 to £75.77 per patient, but it has since emerged that this amount will increase further once more information is available around seniority payments.
The GPC has said that the payments will be backdated.
This is the first time that there is an increase in the global sum midway through the year.
The GPC and the government agreed to a phase out of seniority payments under the 2014/15 contract deal, with a view to their abolition in 2020.
The payments, which are worth an extra £8,000 per year for senior GPs, are continuing for those that were entitled to them on 31 March 2014, but there will be no new entrants to the scheme.
Under the 2014/15 agreement, there will be a 15% reduction in spend each year on the seniority scheme and any money released will be reinvested in core funding.
