The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has discontinued funding for digital tools as part of the Primary Care Access and Recovery Plan (PCARP) for the next financial year.
Minister for Care Stephen Kinnock confirmed the decision in response to a parliamentary question from chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee Chi Onwurah.
Kinnock said that integrated care boards (ICBs) received “non-recurrent” funding in 2024-25 to support the take-up of digital tools, but this will not be separately available for 2025-26.
Prioritise as necessary
He said: “ICBs are expected to continue funding digital tools for general practices from their core allocations, and to prioritise as necessary within those allocations, as part of delivering Government and planning priorities on general practice access, and to support the move from analogue to digital.”
Funding was provided for the Digital Pathways Framework within PCARP last year to help GP practices secure digital tools for processes such as online consultations, messaging and appointment booking. It was launched with a buyer’s guide for which the web page has now been taken down.
PCARP is focused on making it easier for patients to contact GP practices when they are open and get a timely response.
